Britain poses a greater terror threat to America than Iraq, Iran or Afghanistan, leading experts on Islamic extremism have warned.
They single out British Pakistanis as a "danger" to the United States, prompting suggestions last night that the system that allows UK passport holders to travel freely across the Atlantic needs to be reviewed urgently.
The explosive allegations come amid growing concerns in Washington about what has been dubbed "Londonistan" - Britain's reputation as a breeding ground for Islamic extremism.
Last night the Foreign Office dismissed the claim as "ludicrous".
An article in the New Republic magazine details how this summer's terror alert has left a question mark in the US over the trustworthiness of young Asians in Britain who trace their roots back to Pakistan and in particular Kashmir.
It highlights how extremists with links to Pakistan have been implicated in a string of attacks and plots against Western targets, often after attending training camps run by terror organisations.
The analysis comes amid mounting calls in Washington for a review of the threat posed by British citizens, who are increasingly being seen as a likely source of terror attacks against the US.
The US administration and its supporters are also worried by signs that so-called moderate British Muslims have used the terror alerts to call for a change in British foreign policy.
Transatlantic flights remain disrupted by intensified security following the revelation of a plot by British-born Muslims to blow up planes from London to the US.
The article, headlined "Kashmir on Thames", declares: "For terrorist organisations like al-Qa'eda - which, in the years since American troops deposed the Taliban, has reconstituted itself in Pakistan - ethnic Pakistanis living in the UK make perfect recruits, since they speak English and can travel on British passports.
"Indeed, in the wake of this month's high-profile arrests, it can now be argued that the biggest threat to US security emanates not from Iran or Iraq or Afghanistan but rather from Great Britain, our closest ally."
It points out that up to 400,000 British Pakistanis travel back to the country each year, and that many of them have links with Kashmir, which has been the target of a violent militant movement designed to end Indian control of the territory.
Its authors, Peter Bergen and Paul Cruikshank, are well-established experts on Islamic extremism, and the New Republic is an influential voice in Washington.
They say: "The danger to the United States of the nexus between British Pakistanis, al-Qa'eda and Kashmir is becoming clear," adding: "Of more concern...is the likelihood that British Pakistanis will continue to target Americans, both in the US and abroad."
Tory security spokesman Patrick Mercer said the system for allowing movement between the US and the UK needed to be reviewed in light of the heightened security situation.
"It has been known for some time that America has viewed the threat emanating from Britain as being the greatest single problem their intelligence agencies have to deal with. This comes hard on the heels of countries such as France referring to us as 'Londinistan'.
"It serves to remind anybody in doubt about the threat we face how seriously it is taken not just here but abroad. Many measures taken by the Government have been a good start but it has failed to deliver crucially on important security measures."
He added: "The whole business of people moving between the US and the UK needs to be reviewed in like of the recent alarms, and not just the visa waiver programme.
"And there can no longer be an excuse for not creating a Cabinet - level minister responsible solely for national security."
A spokesman for the right-wing Heritage Foundation in Washington said yesterday that Americans increasingly viewed the UK as "a hornet's nest of Islamic extremists" and that Washington could respond by imposing travel restrictions.
At risk is the visa waiver programme that allows four million Britons a year to enter the US without having to apply for a visa beforehand.
The publication Investor's Business Daily has called for an end to the programme because it "allows Pakistani Britons to dodge security background checks."
A spokeswoman for the American embassy said: "We're not commenting on the article", but a spokesman for the Foreign Office said: "The suggestion that the biggest threat to the United States emanates from Britain is ludicrous."
Meanwhile, US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff called for grater access to information about passengers boarding trans-Atlantic flights.
But he said European privacy concerns had "handcuffed" the US' ability to use all available resources to identify and stop threats.
He wants counterterrorism officials to have access to detailed information routinely collected by airlines and travel agencies when travelers book flights, such as travel itineraries and payment details, to help identify suspected terrorists before they board planes.
UK poses biggest terror threat to America
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Brenus
Bookmarks