30 years for British Airways terror plotter

A British Airways computer professional, who had access to offices in Newcastle, has been jailed for 30 years for plotting to launch a 9/11-style terror attack from the UK.

Rajib Karim, 31, wanted to use his place at the airline to plant a bomb on a plane as part of a "chilling" conspiracy with Anwar Al-Awlaki, a disreputable radical preacher associated with al Qaida.

Among several plots to bring the airline to its knees, Karim hoped he could exploit industrial action by staff to become a cabin crew member and cause a blast on a US-bound flight.

He was found guilty last month of four counts of planning terrorism.
The judge recommended that Karim be automatically deport after he has finished his sentence.

He told Karim that he "worked incessantly to further terrorist purposes" while leading a quiet and unobtrusive lifestyle.

The judge said: "You are and were a committed jihadist who understood his responsibility to his religion involves fighting and, God-willing, dying and then being rewarded in the afterlife."

He accepted that Karim was a bit more of "a follower than a leader".

Faisalabad – terror tactics

Faisalabad, the country’s third main city, has faced its largest terrorist attack in many years. Up until now, the crowded textile-manufacturing centre had not been hit - blasts in Punjab, for the most part, took place in Lahore or Rawalpindi that houses the military headquarters. The blast in Faisalabad resembled those that have occurred in other places in terms of its cautious planning and execution. A car packed with explosives blew up at a CNG station, killing at least 20 people and injuring around 100 others with the numbers of both dead and injured expected to increase.

This latest blast indicates a development in the ring of terrorism. The menace has expanded beyond the tribal belt and into cities all over the place. It is possible that terrorists chased out of their strongholds in Khyber-Pakhtukhwa have set up bases elsewhere. It is also possible that they are working with activists based in Punjab. We require developing a broad-based strategy to tackle terrorism and hunt down those behind it wherever they may be in the country. The Punjab chief minister has already suggested that a national conference be held to talk about this growing crisis. The Faisalabad blast should help eradicate any doubt as to the require to call one and devise a plan to stop terrorism from growing and taking a still greater toll on lives.

It is only when the answers are found that we will be able to work out what methods to use against them and to stop the trail of destruction which winds its way through the country from extending out any further than is already the case.