UK setting up new terrorism task force, hate preachers to face the heat Kounteya Sinha, TNN | May 26, 2013, 09.07 PM IST
LONDON: Britain has decided to turn the heat on radical preachers brainwashing youngsters into terrorism.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has decided to set up a new terrorism task force to tackle such hate preachers, days after two Islamist activists brutally beheaded a British soldier in a London street in broad daylight.
Home secretary Theresa May said the government is taking a relook at creating new powers and laws needed to clamp down on religious leaders and organizations who promote extremist messages and who target potential recruits in jails, schools and mosques.
Thousands of people are potentially at risk of being radicalized in Britain, May said.
The force will be chaired by the prime minister and will include senior ministers, London's police chief and the head of the MI5.
It is expected to be up and running within the next few weeks.
Downing Street wants to look at how serious the scale of radicalisation is.
It estimates "hundreds of individuals" have fallen prey to such hate preachers. However, May said the number could actually be in thousands.
One of the immediate targets of the government will be the hate spewing preacher Anjem Choudary who actually came on primetime television the day London witnessed the horrific murder and proudly announced that the suspect Michael Adebolajo had taken part in many of his rallies.
Photographs and videos have been found showing Adebolajo taking part in Islamic rallies by Choudary, former head of banned Islamist organisation Al Muhajiroun.
Adebolajo beheaded British soldier Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich on Wednesday. After committing the crime, Adebolajo made chilling rants on camera to passerbys watching in horror. He said, "Muslims are dying daily by British soldiers. Tell them to bring our troops back so you can all live in peace".
On Friday, radical preacher Choudary actually came out to praise Adebolajo's views.
Choudary said he was shocked with the incident but added "I think not many Muslims can disagree with".
Choudary added, "I last met Adebolajo two years ago. What he said explains what he did. Not many Muslims will disagree with what he said about British foreign policy. One man killed on the street does not equate to millions killed by British and American forces in Muslin countries everyday."
Another hate preacher Omar Bakri Mohammed spoke from Beirut and shockingly said "Under Islam this can be justified, he was not targeting civilians, he was taking on a military man in an operation. To people around here (in the Middle East) he is a hero."
According to the cleric, who now lives in exile in Lebanon, he owned a stall in London which Adebolajo would visit.
The pair would talk about the 'meaning of life' and Adebolajo began attending open talks and meetings.
In an interview with British media, Bakri said, "God destined for him to carry out the attack and God destined for the British soldier to die for the cause he believed in. Muslims in Lebanon are proud of it."
Globally, in 2011, over 10,000 terrorist attacks occurred in 70 countries, causing almost 45,000 casualties and over 12,500 fatalities.
About three quarters of those attacks occurred in the Near East and South Asia while attacks in Africa and the western hemisphere were at a five-year high.
Since 2005, there have been no mass casualty attacks in Great Britain. But the Home Office data shows that a number of serious attempted attacks have been foiled.
In the 12 months to September 2012, 45 people were charged with terrorism-related offences.
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