MI5: “Osama planned attacks in Britain”

This week, U.S. officials believe, there will be discussions between President Barack Obama and Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron during the president’s trip to the U.K. that will result in more intelligence being shared between the two allies, a U.S. counterrorism official told the Law Enforcement Examiner.

According to British police officials on Friday, MI5 received intelligence from the U.S. intelligence community regarding a suspected Osama bin Laden terrorist attack dubbed the "Easter shopping" terrorist plot. The information is contained in computer files seized by U.S. special forces when they raided bin Laden’s hideout on May 1.

This was first top-secret intelligence to have been passed back from the bin Laden operation that left the terror master dead, a government source told the Law Enforcement Examiner.

A Manchester terrorist cell comprised of radical Islamic immigrants was suspected of plotting to blow up landmarks in the city during the Easter holiday was arrested in 2009.

But Scotland Yard and the Crown Prosecutors Service lacked sufficient evidence to press charges and the allegations of ill treatment by British interrogators at the time were being  for MPs, lawyers, human rights groups, and news reporters made it difficult to pursue the case.

Last year, when the British government decided to deport the alleged commander of the terrorist plot, the outcry by human rights groups also caused the government officials to back down.  Also, the suspected terrorist’s attorney claimed the suspect would be brutalized and tortured if he were to return to Pakistan. However, members of the alleged terrorist cell are believed to have left the United Kingdom for the European mainland.

Theintelligence recovered from bin Laden’s hideout is believed valuable in helping to renew intelligence gathering of potentional operations by terror cells located in the U.K. and the European Union.

While the intelligence received by MI5 has not been revealed to the public, some police officials believe it will lead to the apprehension of suspects as well as obtaining evidence which can be used in terrorist prosecutions in the United Kingdom.

Next week, U.S. officials believe, there will be discussions between President Barack Obama and Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron during the president’s trip to the U.K. that will result in more intelligence being shared between the two allies, a U.S. counterrorism official told the Law Enforcement Examiner.

According to a BBC news report, MI5 is said to be receiving “snippets” of information from the bin Laden files but is anxious to send people to America to receive full briefings. 

The BBC quoted a British officials as saying, “The issue is expected to come up next week. In the past, we have had fleeting glimpses of al-Qaeda. But, if what we are already starting to see continues, it appears that the bin Laden files really will give us a comprehensive insight into the whole organization and its operations.”

Many on both sides of the Atlantic believe that the CIA has already told its British counterparts that it has found a list of names that included those allegedly behind the Manchester terrorism plot.

  Jim Kouri, CPP, formerly Fifth Vice-President, is currently a Board Member of the National Association of Chiefs of Police, an editor for ConservativeBase.com, and he’s a columnist for Examiner.com.  In addition, he’s a blogger for the Cheyenne, Wyoming Fox News Radio affiliate KGAB (www.kgab.com). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty. 

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