Britain's longest terror trial yields biggest success yet

But it also reveals that security services let two of the 7/7 bombers slip out of their net.

from the May 1, 2007 edition

Page 2 of 2

Page 1 | 2

As with 7/7, the links to Pakistan and al Qaeda are irresistible.

Several of the men traveled to Pakistan after 9/11 for training. Omar Khyam, the ringleader, boasted that he took orders from Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi, reputedly Al Qaeda's No. 3 who was recently arrested by the CIA and turned over to Guantánamo Bay last week.

"Five dangerous terrorists are now behind bars thanks to the hard work of our police and security services," said the Home Secretary, John Reid. But he added that despite big increases in resources for security services in recent years, "It is important to remember that 100 percent commitment can never guarantee 100 percent success. Today's case reminds us all that the terrorist threat we face is real and severe."

Transcripts from police surveillance record startling conversations between the groups members. At one point, Mr. Akbar says he wants to bomb a nightclub. "A big nightclub in central London, no one can put their hands up and say they are innocent – those slags dancing around," he said. Omar Khyam remarked: "If you get a job in a bar, yeah, or a club, say the Ministry of Sound [a popular club with a capacity for 1,800 people], what are you planning to do there then?" Akbar replied: "Blow the whole thing up."

Despite the culmination of the £50 million ($100 million) investigation and trial, opposition politicians noted that during the surveillance operation, police had come across two of the four suicide bombers that killed 52 people in London on July 7, 2005, but failed to close the net on them. In the immediate aftermath of 7/7, the perpetrators were said to be "clean skins," unknown to the police.

"The information revealed in this trial will spark widespread public concern and debate about the operational capabilities of the security service, and the reliability of Government information in the aftermath of the July 7 bombings," said Sir Menzies Campbell, leader of the Liberal Democrats.

But MI5, the police, and some analysts said the security services could not be blamed. MI5, Britain's domestic security agency, says it has almost 2,000 individuals believed to be actively involved in terrorist plots to keep tabs on. As many as 30 major plots have been identified. "You can't follow everybody," said Lord Stevens, a former Metropolitan police chief. "You just don't have the resources for that," he told the BBC.

"The security services have improved their game enormously, but they say it's a constant learning process," says Mr. Gohel. "New cells are springing up all the time."

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.

1 | Page 2