Nine arrested in the UK on “suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism“. Terrorism officials uncovered an alleged plot to kidnap a Muslim soldier and behead him and display the video on the internet. Police and MI5 searched 12 addresses in the Sparkhill, Washwood Heath, Kingstanding and Edgbaston areas of Birmingham.
Birmingham has a 14 percent Muslim population and 11 percent of its residents are of Pakistani descent, according to a 2001 census of the U.K. population. The inner-city area of Sparkhill has an ethnic minority population of 66 percent. (source)
Note, suspects were detained under the Terrorism Act 2000, and officials did not wait until they had actually carried out an act of terrorism. I praise them for this. Currently the Home Office rates the terrorist threat to the U.K. as “severe,” the second highest level, meaning that an attack is highly likely.
This plot would be the first time to my knowledge that a hostage would be taken and then beheaded on UK soil, or American soil for that matter.
There are 330 Muslims in the British armed forces. Jabron Hashmi, 24, the first British Muslim soldier to die in the so- called “war on terror,” was from Birmingham and was born in Pakistan. The Lance Corporal was killed fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan in July and 400 people attended his funeral at the Central Jamia Mosque in Birmingham. (source)
Jabron Hashmi was called a traitor by some in his neighborhood. I suppose they think kidnapping a patriot and beheading him is a sign of heroism. They are wrong.
[Read more and discuss over at the Right Truth...]
Other Reading:
UK, terrorism, behead, Birmingham, Pakistani, Terrorism Act 2000, British Muslim
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