Martyr creation 101 - Thomas a'Beckett style.
The violation of a place of worship or a vital blow in the war against
terrorism?
Stun gun, CS gas and fake firearm seized during 2am operation
Jeevan Vasagar, Vikram Dodd and Richard Norton-Taylor
Tuesday January 21, 2003
The Guardian
At 2am yesterday, the sanctity of Britain's most notorious place of worship
was shattered as firmly as the lock on the main doors of the North London
Central Mosque in Finsbury Park.
Police in body armour cracked their way in with a battering ram as a
helicopter searchlight raked the dome and minaret with a dazzling beam.
Officers, some dressed in chemical protection suits, seized seven men
inside the mosque under anti-terrorism legislation - a raid linked to the
arrests made a fortnight ago in connection with the discovery of ricin at a
flat in Wood Green.
Police recovered a stun gun, a blank-firing imitation firearm and a CS gas
canister as well as documents and computers which are being examined for
evidence of use in terrorist activity. Forensics teams searched the mosque
and two adjacent houses and are expected to stay for days.
Although Scotland Yard said that Abu Hamza is "nothing to do with this
particular raid", the operation once again focuses attention on the
one-eyed, hook-handed cleric who has allegedly taken over the mosque.
Abu Hamza, accused by the charity commission of misusing the mosque for
"inflammatory, political" activity, is also associated with an alleged
terrorist plot to attack British targets in Yemen.
He claimed yesterday that five of the men arrested were "volunteer security
guards" guarding against possible attack by racists; the other two were
cleaners.
"They haven't done that against churches or synagogues," he said. "Why are
they harassing us? Have you ever heard of somebody's church being raided
because they had pornography or drugs?"
One of the men arrested in connection with the Wood Green poison find is
believed to have been a worshipper at the mosque. Mustapha Taleb, 33, gave
an address in Finsbury Park when he appeared in court last Monday.
Scotland Yard said that yesterday's raid "was aimed specifically at
individuals who have been supporting or engaging in suspected terrorist
activity from within the building. Police believe that these premises have
played a role in the recruitment of suspected terrorists".
The home secretary, David Blunkett, said the operation had his "complete
support", adding: "As I made clear yesterday, and repeatedly in recent
weeks, we must take firm action to investigate, and if necessary deal with,
any potential threat to public safety without fear or favour."
Police said the men inside the mosque surrendered without a struggle but
the Metropolitan police took no chances, deploying 150 officers, including
armed officers and dog teams. Nearby streets were cordoned off and police
guarded the railway line next to the building.
Residents reported hearing shouting "in a foreign language", while others
were awoken by the helicopter overhead.
Nina Rees, 20, who lives close by, said: "There were police on the railway
tracks with sniffer dogs. There was a lot of noise. I heard the dogs
barking really loud. There was a loud bang, which I thought was a gunshot.
I heard someone shout out. It was pretty scary."
No shots were fired; armed officers did not enter the mosque.
Whitehall sources said police had not been looking for chemicals or weapons
but found "useful material" from disc drives and computer equipment. The
sources said several of the those detained are known to security services.
Yesterday the Met hailed the arrests of six north African men, aged between
23 and 48, and one 22-year-old eastern European man as a blow against
terrorism.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Trotter conceded there was no evidence
of possible chemical weapons. But he said: "We went in there to search for
some people and some documents. We found the people we were looking for,
plus others. There will be more arrests to come."
He stressed that officers had sought the advice of Muslim colleagues on how
to behave respectfully, had covered their shoes, and focused their search
on office space, avoiding areas used for prayer.
"Obviously, we were very concerned that we were going into a religious
building to carry out a raid. But in pursuit of terrorism we will go
anywhere required for us to go."
But there was anger from the Muslim community, beginning with a knot of
worshippers who protested at the cordon.
Nadeem Chaudry, 24, said: "I want to fight terrorism but there's ways to do
it, not going in at two o'clock in the morning. The mosque is just a normal
mosque."
Massoud Shadjareh, chairman of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, said:
"Even the Israeli defence force did not storm the Bethlehem church even
though they said terrorists were firing at them from inside."
But the Muslim Council of Britain said: "There can be no two views about
using a house of worship for purposes other than it was meant for. A mosque
is a house of God and no one has a right to abuse its sanctity."
Police said the majority of the worshippers at the mosque were law-abiding
but according to the charity commission, many have left because of their
dislike of Abu Hamza's sermons. The commission was incensed when he called
the September 11 attacks a "towering day in history".
The charity watchdog is trying to prevent the cleric from preaching at the
mosque, in a move separate from the police action, for three reasons:
� he has made inflammatory and highly political statements which are
inconsistent with the mosque's charitable status
� he has allowed the mosque to be used by other non-charitable political
groups for political purposes, including his own Islamist group, the
Supporters of Shariah, and al-Muhajiroun
� he is bringing the good name of the mosque into disrepute.
At the North London Central Mosque, unlike others, a number of people live
within the building, and it is used by a transient population of young men.
Two houses next door are also used.
Both Richard Reid, the alleged shoe-bomber, and Feroz Abbasi, a captive in
Guantanamo Bay, are believed to have received radical teaching in the mosque.
Abu Hamza condemned police tactics yesterday. "It's disgusting. The police
have violated the sacredness of the mosque. They have been allowed in
before for meetings, to search and to see each room. They could have just
given us a call and come."
He said the mosque was used by more than 300 Algerians and claimed the raid
was retaliation for the stabbing to death of a Manchester police officer
last week, allegedly by an Algerian man.
He also claimed that 18 months ago he had been told by police and security
officials during an informal interview that they were watching him.
In his most clear statement yet, he said there should be no terrorist
attacks on Britain: "The people of Britain are really respected by the most
radical Muslim groups because of their opposition to the Iraq war and
support for Palestine."
Of any Muslim considering an attack on the UK: "He's an agent or a complete
fool. That would make our enemies, the leaders of our [Arab] countries,
gloat and rejoice. No one should commit a terrorist attack against Britain.
"There will be no fruit in that and it will create problems for Muslim
people, this country and the people of Britain."
The cleric faced a deadline of midnight last night to make a submission to
the charity commission explaining why he should be allowed to stay on as a
preacher at the mosque. If his appeal fails, the commission may seek a
court order to have him removed by force.
Special report
Terrorism threat to UK
Interactive guide
How Britain is tightening security
Full list of terror suspects
UK assets of suspected terrorist groups and individuals (pdf)
Anti-terror legislation
Download the full text of the crime and security bill (534k)
Summary of the crime and security bill (47k)
Useful links
Metropolitan police
Home Office: emergency planning review
Ministry of Defence
Red Cross
MORE ON...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,12780,879130,00.html
