The Times of London reports that one of the men rounded up in the collapse of the airliner plot this week is the head of al-Qaeda in the UK. The Times does not identify him by name, but apparently MI-5 knows him well:

SECURITY sources believe that a man arrested in last week’s anti- terror raids in Britain is Al-Qaeda’s leader in this country.

Home Office officials say that one of those arrested is suspected not only of masterminding the foiled plot to bring down up to nine transatlantic airliners, but also of involvement in other planned atrocities over the past few years.

They believe that he was instrumental in sending the ringleader of at least one previous British terror plot for training at a camp in Pakistan last year. He is described by counter-terrorist officials at MI5 as the senior figure in a British terror network involving Kashmiri, north African and Iraqi cells.

The capture does more than throw a wrench into this plot, which has obvious AQ fingerprints -- multiple attacks, coordination, timing for maximun effect, and the targeting of crucial transportation among them. The AQ chief also ran multiple lines of communication to jihadist locations in Southwest Asia, especially Pakistan. His capture would cripple, at least temporarily, AQ's efforts to recruit and direct terrorists in Britain. MI-5 also suspects that he has played a serious supporting role in the Iraqi jihadi movement.

More details have come forth in the days following the arrests. Contrary to initial reports, the arrest in Pakistan that preciptated the counterintelligence captures in Britain was not coordinated with the British at all, but took them by surprise. The subsequent arrests had to be hurried in order to keep their suspects from fleeing, and that may have allowed a few to slip from their grasp.

However, that arrest sheds some more light on the 7/7 bombng plot that British authorities chalked up to home-grown amateurs last year. According to the Pakistani official, the arrest came after the suspect visited the same radical imams and mosques as Mohammad Sidique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer, the 7/7 bombers. That could just be coincidence -- or it could indicate that Khan and Tanweer had direction and support from AQ for their attacks as well.

That brings us to the concern of a "second wave". The 7/7 plot was followed closely by an abortive attempt for a repeat two weeks later. AQ also plotted a second wave of attacks in the US after 9/11 but got surprised by the quick grounding of the airliners and tight security restrictions afterward Security officials in Britain worry that the plotters who escaped may yet try a second wave even though the first failed. The capture of the terrorist leader will damage AQ's ability to carry an attack out, but they will be back.

UPDATE: Michael at TMV notes that British security levels remain at "critical" -- which means they still believe an attack to be imminent.

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It seems one of those arrested in the UK Airline Terror Plot was Al Qaeda’s top man in the UK: SECURITY sources believe that a man arrested in last week’s anti- terror raids in Britain is Al-Qaeda’s leader in this country. Home Office officia... [Read More]

Tracked on August 13, 2006 11:34 AM

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From The Times Online:sources believe that a man arrested in last week’s anti- terror raids in Britain is Al-Qaeda’s leader in this country. Home Office officials say that one of those arrested is suspected not only of mastermind...

Tracked on August 13, 2006 1:54 PM