Terror threat enters election campaign debate (UK - AFP)

[Roland99]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1537&ncid=1537&e=1&u=/afp/20050417/wl_uk_afp/britainpoliticsvotepoliceattack_050417150835

LONDON (AFP) - Terrorism topped the election campaign agenda as the government pledged to fight the threat with identity cards, amid a warning from London's top policeman that Al-Qaeda was targeting the country.

"There's real clarity now that Al-Qaeda affiliates are targeting Britain," Sir Ian Blair, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police told BBC television in comments broadcast Sunday.

That came days after Kamel Bourgass, an Algerian suspected of links to Al-Qaeda, was sentenced to 17 years in prison for planning attacks involving ricin.

The Labour government of Prime Minister Tony Blair is seeking to win a record third term in a May 5 general election.

Blair pulling pages from the Propagandist's playbook?

[Henny Penny]

1. I am reluctant

to say I don't believe a word of it in case they feel they have to kill some people in order to make it more convincing.

:grr:

[Frederik]

2. Kamel Bourgass

didn't have any links to "al-Qaeda". He was just a nutjob who liked to visit American survivalist websites. Tony's game is getting too transparent.

[NYC Liberal]

3. Tony's learned well from his master.

It's so transparent it's (almost) funny. Hopefully the British will see through the bullshit, unlike Americans last year.

[Roland99]

4. They're both converted to the Dark Side

[ikri]

5. was sentenced to 17 years in prison...

for planning attacks involving ricin.

Except he wasn't.

I'm really annoyed with the media over this one. He was convicted of conspiring to commit a public nuisance, not attempted mass murder.

The crimes he's been convicted of (other than the sentence he got for murdering a policeman) are on the same level as laying manure in the streets.

Yes he's a criminal. Yes he's deranged. Is he a member of Al-Qaeda? Unlikely.

Besides I'm still waiting for politicians and police to tell me why we're under a greater terror threat now than when the IRA was launching mortars at John Major and randomly blowing up parts of England.