UK works to keep terrorists at bay

Mustafa Salah

A series of terrorist attacks, especially in 2017, left a bitter taste in the mouths of the UK government and citizens alike. The attacks included a car ramming into pedestrians on a bridge in Westminster, the blowing up of a party hall in Manchester and a truck driving into pedestrians yet again, but this time in London. Finally, a bomb went off at the London Metro, injuring more than 29 people.

For years in the past, the UK played host to a large number of Islamist, Salafist and jihadist leaders. It also hosted Islamists who had a great influence on the course of jihadist work in the world for a long time.

There is, however, what can be called a “moment of enlightenment” in the UK now. The British government has realized the perils inherent in the presence of these people on British territories.

On December 22, 2017, London designated the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated militias, Hasm and Lewaa al-Thawra, as “terrorist groups.

Then-British ambassador in Cairo John Casson then said that his government would cooperate with Egypt in the fight against terrorist organizations and the rooting out of extremist ideologies.

A campaign was organized in this regard in October 2017 with the aim of banning the Muslim Brotherhood in the UK. Those creating the campaign said it aimed to bar the Islamist movement from operating in the UK because the Brotherhood depended on violence to achieve its goals.

This, they said, contradicted the ideals of the British society.

Lone-wolves as a phenomenon

Lone-wolf attacks thrived in the UK among terrorist groups overlooked by security agencies.

The attacks first emerged in the early 1980s, with the appearance of al-Qaeda. Then, tactics used in staging these attacks changed dramatically in a way that raised questions on the reasons for their spread in one of the most important European states.

Former British intelligence officer Richard Barrett said immigrants made the bulk of those who carried out these lone-wolf attacks in the UK.

In a study on new extremists, Barrette added that most immigrants feel alienated in their new societies.

The British newspaper, Daily Mail, referred in 2015 to the presence of a network of radicals in Britain, turning the country into an extremism hub. It said one of the organizations making this network was Mujahedeen which was founded in 1986 by Syrian national Omar Bakri. The organization champions calls for the application of Islamic law in Britain.

The British government used to turn a blind eye to the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood in Britain. There is presence in the UK for several organizations and societies whose roots can be traced in the Brotherhood. This is why operational Islam poses growing dangers to the British society. These organizations and societies speak a language that makes them acceptable in the British society. They speak about democracy. Nonetheless, they have the seeds of extremism deep in their roots.

Fear from these groups grows, especially as they try to control more moderate organizations operating in the UK. This can explain the British change of heart toward the Brotherhood. A report about the activities of the Brotherhood that was commissioned by former British Prime Minister David Cameron in December 2015 showed that the Brotherhood had links to extremism.

This is why it is important to note that the new British counterterrorism strategy needs legal support so that it can trim the presence of extremist groups inside the UK.