7/10/13. Al-Qaida in Syria is most serious terrorist threat to UK, says report
Al-Qaida elements fighting with rebels in Syria constitute the most serious terrorist threat to Britain, and if they were to get their hands on Syria's chemical weapons the consequences could be catastrophic, according to British spymasters.
The warnings, in the latest annual report of the parliamentary intelligence and security committee (ISC) published on Wednesday, come amid growing reports that Syrian rebels are trying to acquire chemical weapons.
Russia said on Wednesday it had proof Syrian rebels used the nerve agent sarin in a missile attack on a government-controlled suburb of Aleppo in March. The British prime minister, David Cameron, said last month that al-Qaida-linked elements in the rebel movement had tried to capture chemical weapons for probable use in Syria.
Britain's security and intelligence chiefs "assess that al-Qaida elements and individual jihadists in Syria currently represent the most worrying emerging terrorist threat to the UK and the west," says the ISC.
It adds: "There is a risk of extremist elements in Syria taking advantage of the permissive environment to develop external attack plans, including against western targets. Large numbers of radicalised individuals have been attracted to the country, including significant numbers from the UK and Europe."
They are likely to acquire "expertise and experience which could significantly increase the threat posed when they return home," says the ISC report. Intelligence officials believe about 100 British Muslims have gone to Syria to join rebel groups.
The ISC reports serious concern about the security of what it calls the "vast stockpiles" of chemical weapons held by the Assad regime.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/10/al-qaida-syria-terrorist-threat
https://b1cba9b3-a-5e6631fd-s-sites.googlegroups.com/a/independent.gov.uk/isc/files/2012-2013_ISC_AR.pdf?attachauth=ANoY7cqe_5fLVldLSSkHdDp6AimGrpTf7pzCW2bBGg-x5J5Pj4L02u-1PoAMMcKgnL6lZ4zOOlIsE5yIlbtcmtSONSlir0jbkiyejQFp5QDNrucp2Dpkc8cfrJSuMgeJ54LVMbZurYWzkNoTfrooOeQ_HKXCNCeu6IULdwcSk-5NJtb0KBdciYwaB9wFTjKRVOPLZ_z75s_u39Nug7SzBqCn83-qcD6LXwtETpymT7c1uRpDk8aosqc%3D&attredirects=0
So who is right? The Brits or Kerry?