LAT/AP: British Gov't Under Fire Over Bomber Probe

[DeepModem Mom]

British Gov't Under Fire Over Bomber Probe
By BETH GARDINER, Associated Press Writer


LONDON -- Criticism of the British government grew Monday over the revelation that the vaunted domestic intelligence service did not detain one of the London attackers last year after linking him to a suspect in an alleged plot by other Britons of Pakistani descent to explode a truck bomb in the capital.

The MI5 found itself under fire as new information emerged Monday about the bombers' connection with Pakistan: Two of the suspects traveled together to the southern city of Karachi last November and returned to London in February. A third bomber went to the same city last July.

The British intelligence service reportedly did not find Mohammad Sidique Khan -- who was checked out in connection with the alleged bomb plot last year -- to be a threat to national security and failed to put him under surveillance.

The Home Office, which speaks for MI5, declined to comment on the suggestion that agents had dropped a crucial lead, or on reports that a Briton of Pakistani origin suspected of links to al-Qaida had entered the country two to three weeks before the attack and flown out the day before....

***

Despite the criticism, the government has not launched any investigations into why the security services did not pick up the London bombers before July 7, when the attackers blew up three London subways and a double-decker bus, killing 56 people....


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/ats-ap_top13jul18,0,1427187.story

[goforit]

1. Negligence!!!!.....A remake of New York's WTC!!!!

Geeee......what a resemblence between Blair and Bush!!!

The PNAC just never stops, eh.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. If I were truly paranoid, I'd look at this differently.

The almost deliberate ignorance practiced by Bush and his fellow co-conspiritors in advance of September 11th can be explained (from a paranoid point of view) by understanding that Bush's poll numbers were in the toilet. He needed a rallying point to gain (re)control, pass the Traitor-iot Act and most important, he needed an excuse to invade Iraq.

The Downing Street memos are making Mr. Blair highly uncomfortable. His support is even lower than the administration's here (and falling rapidly). If his poll numbers continue to swim in the toilet, he also would need a rallying point to regain control, improve internal security to an even higher level and most importantly, to excuse the fact that Blair invaded Iraq on a lie.

[NorCalDem]

3. Terrorism in London

won't help Blair get support for the Iraq War because the British are smart enough to know that the War has only made terrorism a more serious threat.

At least I hope the British public has figured that out, from my perspective they seem to have done so.

[DeepModem Mom]

6. Thanks for posting -- and welcome to DU!

[wellst0nev0ter]

4. Isn't That The Same Guy

Who escaped arrest after the monkey president outed an Al-Quaeda double-agent last year, botching a London sting?

[moobu2]

5. I can't believe

That aspect of the story hasnt been mentioned by MSM, oh wait duhh yes I can.

[DeepModem Mom]

7. Whoa! nt

[confludemocrat]

8. Holy shit! Can you tell us more?

I vaguely remember something on this, can you fill us in?

[wellst0nev0ter]

9. Juan Cole Has More

http://www.juancole.com/2005/07/ghost-of-muhammad-naeem-noor-khan-john.html

[DeepModem Mom]

10. Thanks, wellst0nev0ter! Has this been posted elsewhere?

I'm going to search it out.

[DeepModem Mom]

12. I posted this story over at GD, giving you credit, w -- thanks again!

Apparently it was posted some time ago, but I think it's worth posting an update.

[confludemocrat]

11. Oh----my------God! Just when you think you've heard the worst. Thanks

No words can cover this. If we ever get to an impeachment, this should be in the bill of charges.