More arrests made in British car-bomb attacks

The incidents were linked after a strong forensic connection was found between the Jeep rammed into the terminal at Glasgow airport and two Mercedes car bombs found in London. The Jeep was packed with petrol and gas canisters similar to those found in the London vehicles, which also contained nails. Counter-terrorist sources indicated that the link was much broader and that the individuals suspected of involvement in the London and Glasgow terrorist acts were connected.

The Independent carries an article by columnist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, saying "Sane, ordinary Muslims must stand up and be counted" and says such attacks hurt the cause of Muslims living in Britain. She also argues there are signs that more British Muslims are starting to take a stand.

As they wake up to news of the foiled car-bomb attack on Glasgow Airport, I know what millions of my compatriots - atheists, Hindus, Sikhs, Jews and Christians - will be saying, their easy Sunday ruined by yet another alleged Islamicist plot: "What's wrong with these crazed Muslims?"

What these aggrieved Britons don't realise is that exactly the same conversations are taking place in most Muslim households too, with many more expletives flying.

On Saturday night, at a lavish Shia wedding in Hertfordshire, Muslim guests were livid.... "Send them packing to the Middle East or Pakistan," said a solicitor to much cheering at one table. "Time to say we love this country. For Muslims, no better country - that's why so many want to come over," added a businessman, who had come here penniless and turned his fortunes around within 10 years.

The BBC reports that Britain's Tories, who have opposed government calls to extend detention without charge of terrorist suspects to 90 days from the current 28 on civil liberties grounds, said they would consider the government's position in light of the latest attacks.

Shadow chancellor George Osborne told the BBC his party was open-minded, but added it was "not convinced". Mr Osborne told the BBC's Sunday AM that Conservative leader David Cameron had offered Mr Brown his full support and that a "cross-party approach" was needed, and that "particularly we need to look at some future point at new security laws".

He added: "In moments like this when we face a critical security threat of course all politicians whatever their party try to work together and make sure the country is safe and secure."

Writing on the Counterrorism blog , Lebanese-American Middle East author Walid Phares says that any debate over whether Al Qaeda was involved misses the more important point.

The ballet surrounding the media and official reporting went back and forth about the theory of Bin Laden responsibility in this affair, as if it would shape up the strategy to respond. Western, and in this case, British investigators must bypass the dead-ended guessing about al Qaeda's formal role and spend energies and time on the greater question of Jihadi penetration of British society. For Bin Laden and Zawahiri may or may not be the trigger factors in this specific operation; al Qaeda's central apparatus may or may not be in charge of the execution; and the perpetrators may or may not be professional terrorists.

The issue at hand remains the "factory" that produced these persons: Who indoctrinated them, how did they form a cell and how many potential Jihadi cells are there across the islands. Bin Laden or not is a secondary question. For after his passing, and if the reduction of Jihadism is not successful in Britain, there will still be attempts, even though not signed by the mother organization.

The Daily Telegraph offers a slideshow with images of the attack on the Glasgow airport.

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