July 02, 2007
U.K. To Rethink Detainee Policies Following Terror Plot
Britain is on its highest-level terror alert as officials scramble to head off what The Economist is calling that nation's "dreadful summer ritual" -- coordinated homegrown plots by Islamic radicals.
Officials believe the failed car bombings in London and Glasgow may have been part of a coordinated plot. Seven people, all of whom are believed to be foreigners, have been arrested.
This is the second consecutive year Britain has thwarted a potentially massive terror plot since the 7/7 London transit attacks in 2005. In a statement to the British Commons today, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said the government might rethink its detention policies for suspected terrorists.
"There may well be a case for looking very carefully at the amount of time that we are able to detain people pre-charge in order to ensure the very best opportunity to bring convictions," she said.
Terrorist suspects detained by U.S. officials may be held indefinitely without charge, so long as they are deemed a threat. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the military tribunal process by which detainees held in Guantanamo were able to challenge their confinement, but did not specifically tackle the government's power to hold suspects indefinitely.
By contrast, there is a strict cap on how long suspected terrorists may be held without charge in Britain. Former Prime Minister Tony Blair met stiff resistance in his attempts to extend the detention time for terrorists to 90 days from 28 days -- even following the deadly 7/7 attacks that killed 52 people and wounded 700. The British police have pushed for longer detentions, arguing they need more time to investigate suspected terrorist plots. But the House of Commons has long rejected such proposals.
Now, with another alarming terrorist plot setting Britain on edge for the third summer in a row, will MPs finally be moved to accept stricter measures for suspects?
That's difficult to say. Britons have been among the more vocal critics of the Guantanamo detention facility, and may resist any measures bringing their justice system closer in line to America's. Still, as The Economist points out, even thwarted terrorist attacks do real harm to Britain's counterterrorism resources.
And the unpleasant fact remains that Britain has exponentially more home-grown Islamic radicals to worry about than America does. Last year, following the foiled airline plot, the New Republic and Christian Science Monitor explored the substantial trouble Britain has had in assimilating foreign Muslims compared with the United States.
As many Londoners well know, anti-Western Islamic radicals openly call for jihad against Britain and America on the streets of the Muslim-dominated enclaves in which they are crowded. In January, Britain's Channel 4 aired the results of its undercover investigation of the proliferation of radicalism in that country. It can be viewed on YouTube.
Posted at 10:39 AM
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Europe, Terrorism, Tony Blair, U.K.
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