Tuesday, May 19, 2009

7/7 London Terror Attack Intelligence Report Released

Via Sky.com -

Police and security services alone will not be able to prevent future terror attacks in the UK, the Home Secretary has warned.

John Reid said everyone from Muslim leaders tolocal communities and governments must work together to stop more outrages like the July 7 bombings.

He spoke in the wake of a cross-party Intelligence and Security Committee report which said the attacks, in central London, could have been prevented if more resources had been available.

It also revealed two of the four bombers were being tracked by security services before the outrage - but the surveillance was dropped in favour of other anti-terror work.

According to the report, security services have now discounted the theory that a terror mastermind fled Britain shortly before the attacks.

There was no intelligence to indicate there was a fifth or further bomber, the report adds.

In a statement to MPs, Mr Reid promised lessons would be learned and revealed that three further terror attacks had been foiled since last July.

He also revealed two of the July 7 bombers had visited Pakistan where they may have come into contact with al Qaeda.

Mr Reid said a "simpler, more flexible and proportionate system" for warning of terror threats would be put in place.

More money and resources were now being poured into counter-terrorism, but cash was not the only answer.

"We need help of Muslim leaders and the community to fight the distortion of Islam that turns young people into terrorists," he said.

"[Terrorism] won't be defeated by the security services alone, or police, or government, but by all of us in this country working together."

Fifty-two people excluding the bombers were killed in the terror attacks on three tube trains and a bus on the morning of July 7. A further 700 were injured.

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