THE WAR ON TERROR
President Obama’s commitment to close Guantanamo Bay has met with almost universal acclaim. What to do with the remaining inmates has excited the usual people, with some even trying to get some of the Islamist inmates into Britain.
One such inmate is Binyam Mohammed, who is described as being a British resident. This Ethiopian came to Britain as a so-called asylum seeker in 1994 when he was 16. His asylum claim was turned down, although he was granted exceptional leave to remain in 2000 [there‘s a surprise]. He converted to Islam and worshipped at a mosque attended by radical Muslims.
In 2001, he went to Afghanistan. He claims that he had been using drugs and went to Afghanistan to kick the habit and to find out more about the Taliban. The US authorities claim that he joined Al Qaeda and was trained to build and detonate a radioactive ‘dirty bomb’.
He was arrested in Pakistan at Karachi airport by Pakistani authorities who regarded him as a terrorist. He had tried to board a flight to London using a false British passport [as one does].
He claims that since his arrest he has been moved around several countries and has been subjected to torture, details of which he recorded in a diary that, presumably, those detaining him were happy for him to keep as he was moved to various locations. Naturally, a host of human rights lawyers are involving themselves and are trying to get him into Britain.
Whatever the merits of his claims of being tortured, what has this to do with us? Let this Ethiopian be returned to Ethiopia, or Afghanistan if he prefers.
There has been a brouhaha over a US request that 25 lines be edited out of court papers relating to this matter, which has provoked criticism of Britain adopting a craven attitude to the USA. The Telegraph reported on the 7 February:
One such inmate is Binyam Mohammed, who is described as being a British resident. This Ethiopian came to Britain as a so-called asylum seeker in 1994 when he was 16. His asylum claim was turned down, although he was granted exceptional leave to remain in 2000 [there‘s a surprise]. He converted to Islam and worshipped at a mosque attended by radical Muslims.
In 2001, he went to Afghanistan. He claims that he had been using drugs and went to Afghanistan to kick the habit and to find out more about the Taliban. The US authorities claim that he joined Al Qaeda and was trained to build and detonate a radioactive ‘dirty bomb’.
He was arrested in Pakistan at Karachi airport by Pakistani authorities who regarded him as a terrorist. He had tried to board a flight to London using a false British passport [as one does].
He claims that since his arrest he has been moved around several countries and has been subjected to torture, details of which he recorded in a diary that, presumably, those detaining him were happy for him to keep as he was moved to various locations. Naturally, a host of human rights lawyers are involving themselves and are trying to get him into Britain.
Whatever the merits of his claims of being tortured, what has this to do with us? Let this Ethiopian be returned to Ethiopia, or Afghanistan if he prefers.
There has been a brouhaha over a US request that 25 lines be edited out of court papers relating to this matter, which has provoked criticism of Britain adopting a craven attitude to the USA. The Telegraph reported on the 7 February:
‘Despite the criticism of the government's stance, intelligence sources have revealed that there was a second, legitimate, reason for doing as the US government asked in restricting the material published: MI5 is more dependent than ever on the CIA for help in monitoring the 2,000 terrorist suspects in the UK.
The CIA is now running a large network of its own informers in the British Pakistani community. Their information has helped thwart terrorist attacks in the UK and locate senior al-Qaeda operatives abroad.
The US has stepped up intelligence gathering in the UK to such an extent over the last 18 months that one in four CIA operations designed to prevent a repeat of the 9/11 attacks on the US homeland is now conducted against targets in the UK.’
posted by erc @ 4:53 pm
<< Home