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London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists?

Remember after the Oklahoma bombing when the U.S. wrongly assumed it was an international terrorist attack? Is the same thing happening in London? There are a few parallels emerging. Right after the London bombing, U.S. and British officials surmised al-Zarqawi and his international al-Qaeda group were behind the attack. Then the bombs turn out to be home-made, weighing less than 10 pounds apiece and composed of readily available materials. Now, the New York Times reports,

That finding supports a theory gaining momentum among the authorities that the plot was carried out by a sleeper cell of homegrown extremists rather than highly trained terrorists exported to Britain.

Over at Huffington Post, Max Blumenthal analyzes the different theories, including one that the one-eyed, one-handed cleric Abu Hamza Al-Masri, whose terror trial is supposed to begin in Britain Tuesday, is behind the attacks. Blumenthal concludes the U.S. is spinning the al-Zarqawi theory to gain support for its theory that Iraq is a key enemy in the terror war:

This looks, smells and quacks like a Pentagon/State Department disinformation campaign designed to reinforce the notion of Iraq as a "central battlefield in the war on terror." Zarqawi's involvement in the London attacks would also bolster his profile among the American public, fulfilling a PR goal the White House established once they essentially gave up on capturing bin Laden.

....As long as the Bush administration's disinformation is accepted at face value, we are living in the land of the blind, a place where, as Bob Dylan reminded us, the one-eyed man is king.

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    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#16)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:56:01 PM EST
    GregZ - Just a little sad to read this from the LondonTimesOnLine.
    AL-QAEDA is secretly recruiting affluent, middle-class Muslims in British universities and colleges to carry out terrorist attacks in this country, leaked Whitehall documents reveal.
    I mean SD and a host of others had almost convinced me that the Muslim moderates would actually be a force in this war. I guess they will be, eh?

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#1)
    by Kitt on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:02 PM EST
    This is my line of thought. I don't think it had anything to do with al-Quada. From the beginning I thought it had more to do with the G8 summit and the demands from 'groups' - specifically in relation to the environment (global warming, etc.) with some who were willing to do 'to do whatever it took' to make their point. I don't think the 'groups' themselves sought violent means to make their point. However, there are those who will and would, call it "the fringe" or whatever terms pleases you. I also think it has more to do with the U.S. and Great Britain alliance with the US than anything really to do primarily with Britain. Besides, wasn't their troop 'pull-out' - realignment - previously announced late last year or early this year by Britain?

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#2)
    by Dadler on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:02 PM EST
    The one-eye'd people in this situation are Judith Miller and MSM "reporters" like her. A bunch of cowardly dupes, more afraid of pissing off the military than lying the the American people.

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#3)
    by Dadler on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:02 PM EST
    And we're all "home-grown" in one way or another, aren't we? We're all humans on planet earth. Which, when viewed against the backdrop of the cold, indifferent, infinite universe, is quite a close connection indeed.

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#4)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:02 PM EST
    et al - The dead haven't been buried and you are making excuses? It doesn't matter who. The fact is that it happened. And why all the discussion of the bombs? Of course they were hand made in London. Whether by local members/sympathizers of al-Qaida or imports makes no difference. Good grief.

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#5)
    by Kitt on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:02 PM EST
    "et al - The dead haven't been buried and you are making excuses?" Jim - Ya know, this is why I don't go back & forth with you on much. Offering an opinion is NOT making excuses.

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:02 PM EST
    There are several possibilities here. For instance, it could have been several groups working together: Zarqawi initiating it, assisted by both "homegrown" groups and those who came to London specifically for the attacks. Calling them "homegrown" is intentionally misleading. Calling them "infiltrators" would be better. My links on England's problems with infiltrators are here. I note also that Blumenthal is a fellow at MMFA, the Soros-funded outfit. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#7)
    by Dadler on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:02 PM EST
    BigMedia, No no, of course not, Soros only goes out on a limb more than any billionaire in America in the cause of aiding the most needy.

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#8)
    by john horse on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:02 PM EST
    Prime Minister Berlusconi has announced that Italy would start pulling its troops out of Iraq within two months. According to one of his ministers "The moment has come to start thinking of our own interests."

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#9)
    by soccerdad on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:02 PM EST
    PPJ you are more incoherent than usual. Of course all that matters because it will help identify who did it. But you don't care, because you hate all Muslims and think they are all from the 15th century. So while the rest of us are trying who did it so we can better understand its meaning you seem ready to go off and accuse all Muslims, or am I missing something

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:02 PM EST
    PPJ,
    It doesn't matter who. The fact is that it happened.
    It doesn't matter who? So we just round up anyone who strikes our fancy, pin it on them?

    Why does that scenario sound so familiar?

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#11)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:02 PM EST
    Kitt - Yeah, but that opinion is an excuse. Cheetah - Well, you might want to keep it "context." Otherwise we'll have to provide background on every comment. SD - As you love to say, that was a rhetorical comment. et al - You folks are making Karl Rove's point about what the Left did after 9/11. Of which, I admit, it was somewhat overblown. But the reaction to want to not come down on the terrorists is clear. I'm just waiting for Ernesto to tell me that the problem is that we armed OBL to fight the Soviets.

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:02 PM EST
    While I diagree with Kitt, Im not sure her statement qualifies as 'an excuse.' This conspiracy minded theory appeals much more to me.
    Benjamin Netanyahu, the former Israeli prime minister and current Finance Minister, was on his way to deliver an address near the Liverpool Street Station blast site.
    Link

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#13)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:02 PM EST
    GregZ --- Ah yes, I knew the Jews would be in their somewhere. And all those train riders? Little Eichmans... no doubt.

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#15)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:02 PM EST
    GregZ - Sorry.

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#17)
    by soccerdad on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:03 PM EST
    The more the political situation remains the same the more recruits AQ will get. Lets kill another 100k of innocents, torture some more Iraqis and continue to illegally occupy their country so that even more Muslims will be tempted to join. I don't expect the moderate Muslims to be any more capable of stopping AQ than MI5 or the the CIA or even the antiwar Americans from stopping Bush But thanks for another strawman

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#18)
    by soccerdad on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:03 PM EST
    from the Pentagon's Defense Science Board that bastion of liberal thinking
    "Muslims do not 'hate our freedom,' but rather, they hate our policies. The overwhelming majority voice their objections to what they see as one-sided support in favor of Israel and against Palestinian rights, and the long-standing, even increasing support for what Muslims collectively see as tyrannies, most notably Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Pakistan, and the Gulf states."


    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#19)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:03 PM EST
    SD - Typical quote with no link. And what does that mean? BTW - You have totally mis-characterized the supposed source. Again. Typical.

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#20)
    by soccerdad on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:03 PM EST
    PPJ doesn't recognize sarcasm. Can't you read?

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#21)
    by soccerdad on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:03 PM EST
    BTW here's the link not that you will read it

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#22)
    by roy on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:03 PM EST
    Re: homegrownness, it looks like the official hunches have swung the other way:
    Ministers now believe that the bombings - which left at least 49 people dead in Britain's worst terrorist attack - were the work of a "very, very small number" of individuals who arrived from mainland Europe or North Africa on false passports within the past six months.
    "We are convinced it is not a British-based cell," a senior Government source said. There was a strong possibility that the bombers came from Iraq and spent time in mainland Europe before entering Britain recently.


    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#24)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:03 PM EST
    SD - So, who is being sarcastic? You are your quote?

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#25)
    by ppjakajim on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:03 PM EST
    Try again.. SD - So who is being sarcastic, you or your quote?

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#26)
    by soccerdad on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:03 PM EST
    Did you read the link, didn't think so. You're too intellectually dishonest to let facts come between you and your beliefs. If you can't tell that using the phrase "bastion of liberal thought" when refering to a Pentegon organization is sarcasm then what can I say. maybe you are that dense

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#27)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:03 PM EST
    someone call a truce b/w SD and PPJ. lol Jim, I just wanted to make sure you didn't think I was blaming Israel or anything like that. I tend to agree with you that AQ is responsible in some way. as dismayed by Juan Cole as you are Jim, he had a lengthy list of condemnations by moderate Muslims on his Saturday post.

    Re: London Bombing: Home Grown Terrorists? (none / 0) (#28)
    by desertswine on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:01:03 PM EST
    s
    omeone call a truce b/w SD and PPJ
    Bah! This is all that's keeping the world's oldest Young Republican kicking.