Failed London and Glasgow Attacks Opens Doors for Intelligence gathering

The failed terror plots in London and Glasgow are now allowing British investigators to learn about the perpetrators, their connections, and the techniques used. To date, connections have been made to Iraqi Al Qaeda militants, Australian Islamic radicals, and a worldwide ring of Muslim doctors (see next Article) who consorted to carry out attacks by using their special civil status. Many of those involved in this attack were of Indian ancestry.

The investigations are still underway and are revealing the international connections of each of the local radical Muslim cells. TAM-C analysts have been warning of the growing threat of radical Islamic entities from India, specifically from the Jammu and Kashmir areas.

Reports are supporting the seriousness and professional engineering of the VBIEDs and the span of destruction that would have followed the successful detonation of the devices. Although the devices were first believed to be amateurish and harmless, continued study has shown that, given the crackdown on other forms of detonation and explosives in the UK, the devices that were built were of high quality.

Related Item:
When Will They Hit Frankfurt? Blogger Andrew Hammel, writes about why terrorists strike more often in Europe than in the United States.

The London / Glasgow terror plot has now been discovered to have been planned and executed by doctors, who are part of an international radical Muslim internet community. British Anglican Cleric Canon Andrew White was told, "Those who cure you will kill you" by a man he met in Jordan at a Peace meeting (that was far from a peace-talk). It is believed that the speaker was a high ranking official in Al Qaeda Iraq.

The Al Qaeda contact also said that militants were no longer going to be targeting just Iraq. They were planning actions that would target Britain and America. The FBI has confirmed that two suspects in the failed car bombings in Britain had contacted a clearinghouse for foreign doctors about working in the United States. British officials are investigating more links between the attacks and Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI).

The techniques used in the Iraqi / Afghani war zones are being utilized now on the western home front. TAM-C analysts have previously alerted to this use of Iraq as a testing ground to perfect chemical attacks using chlorine and other easy-to-obtain hazardous materials.

300 lbs of Compressed Chlorine Gas Stolen from Texas Water Plant
Last week (02JUL2007) thieves cut a hole in the fence of the compound in order to gain entry to the plant. Once there, they turned on and off valves and sabotaged an electric box.

Local Montgomery County and FBI Authorities are investigating the theft with obvious fears of an Iraqi-style chemical bomb using Chlorine as a chemical agent. TAM-C analysts remind its subscribers that the most effective use of Chlorine gas would be in low lying areas such as subways, interstate and pedestrian tunnels, sports stadiums, and any closed building.

Australian Radical Muslim Population Becoming More Militant
Last week's failed London / Glasgow terror attempts involved a number of doctors and medical staff (discussed above). Australian authorities have arrested an Indian doctor while attempting to board a plane to India on a one way ticket. He and another arrested doctor are believed to have connections with the doctors who carried out last week's attacks. [One doctor has since been released, but investigations are still pending.]

A government backed report in Australia this week indicates that the views of Australian Islamists are extreme when compared to those of other western countries. The newer Muslim community in Australia has had less time to form strong roots within the local Australian communities. They are finding it difficult to keep young immigrants from getting involved in radical Islamic groups. TAM-C analysts have been watching the situation of Muslim extremists and the suspicious activities in Australia. We will continue to do so.

Australian authorities have warned of an imminent attack on western interests in Indonesia and specifically Bali, where a 2002 bomb killed over 200 people (mostly Australian tourists). It was hit again in 2005.

Explosion Caused by Traffic Accident on Tappen Zee Bridge in New York

A 01JUL2007 accident between a tractor-trailer and a car has left one man dead from the explosions that followed. The accident shut down the bridge for nine hours, creating traffic havoc from the Rockland side of the bridge. Reports from the scene spoke of up to three loud explosions that were like "bombs going off".

TAM-C analysts have been warning repeatedly of the threat to infrastructural bridges. Numerous attacks in Iraq, specifically on bridges, have brought the impact and importance of bridges to light. Although there are currently no connections to terror in this instance, TAM-C analysts see the incident (and resultant bridge closure) as an example of how such a terror attack (even when failed) could effect population centers.

Possible Osama Bin Laden Message to Come Soon

TAM-C miners have found a posting on a jihadi website stating that a message from Osama Bin Laden will be coming soon. TAM-C does not know whether the message will be written, voice or video. Many questions of OBL's existence have surfaced because he has failed to appear on newer Al Qaeda videos. Some analysts believe that Bin Laden may have died of Typhoid more than a year ago and the Al Qaeda network is withholding this news to maintain morale within the Islamist ranks.