Monday, August 25, 2008

al-Qaeda-Finland-Gordon Brown terror nexus: update

So it's confirmed - British special branch are currently visiting Finland, trying to work out why these guys from Blackburn who they have arrested were coming to Helsinki. Helsingin Sanomat has a few more details today, but the Finnish security police spokesperson is saying release of the information on the case will only come from the British end.

Although it has been by no means a 100% rule, generally terrorism plots in Europe have exhibited ethnic, national or at least regional groupings in the family-origins of the plotters. Hence the 7/7 bombings were mainly the result of British Pakistanis (although Germaine Lindsay was a convert), the Madrid bombing was mainly Moroccans etc. Helsingin Sanomat says that the arrested men are British-Pakistanis, which is interesting as there is only a very small Pakistani community in Finland making that a less likely, if still possible, link. Ultimately this may turn out to be another 'internet plot' where threats are made but no credible plan had ever existed to act upon them - but when the internet is centrally involved it really does throw open the door to unlikely linkages between people who may have never even met.

Time will tell how serious these arrest turn out to be and what the Finnish connection was. Perhaps they had just made an "inspired choice" to select Finland for their family holiday destination?

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