London’s former Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir John Stevens has sounded an alert that United Kingdom may be harbouring almost 200 Al Qaeda militants.
In a fiery editorial piece carried in News of the World, Stevens wrote, “As you read this, there are at least 100 Osama bin Laden trained terrorists walking Britains streets.” Adding that the number is probably closer to 200, he said that the ‘cunning of Al Qaeda’ makes it difficult to pinpoint an exact number.
Calling for Parliament approval of the Prevention of Terrorism Bill, Stevens, in the article called ‘Forget human rights, kick out the fanatics’, said the measures are ‘vital’ for the purpose of restraining terror attacks on the UK.
The bill, which includes the controversial control order that is designed to allow authorities to hold suspects under house arrest without charges, has been disputed time and again on the grounds that it violates civil rights. Reacting strongly to this line of thought, Stevens wrote, “For the safety of the vast majority, occasionally we will have to accept the infringement of the human rights of high-risk individuals.”
Dubbing foreign detainees who have been arrested without charges ‘fanatics’, Stevens said that they should not be allowed to walk the streets of Britain and should be ‘locked up or kicked out of our country’. These detainees were held indefinitely under the old anti-terror laws that came into force after the 9/11 terror attacks on the United States.
If the upper House of Lords approves the new laws, the police would have the power to hold suspected Britons and foreigners under house arrest indefinitely without conviction or explanation, and to suspend their telephone and Internet privileges.
62-year-old Stevens retired on February 1 this year, relinquishing his duties to Sir Ian Blair. In his editorial, he also reproached those protesting the anti-terror laws because they ‘simply haven't understood the true horror of the terrorism’ that’s facing UK. “Some of the reports that crossed my desk in the last few months alone made my hair stand on end,” the article said.
Rejecting the parallels being drawn between the IRA and Al Qaeda, Stevens wrote, “The difference is that no IRA members ever strapped a bomb to their body, walked into somewhere like Trafalgar Square and blew themselves and 100 innocent passers-by to smithereens.” Stevens has warned that a terror strike is ‘inevitable’ unless strong anti-terror measures are taken. Sir Ian Blair has also expressed concerns that the upcoming election campaign might be under threat from terrorists.
Responding to Stevens’ contentions, Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said that though he understands the former commissioner’s concerns, he believes that ‘strong principles of justice would not undermine national security’.
