Flere britiske og internasjonale medier har meldt om saken. Som i Norge, sier politisk ledelse på de britiske øyene at hjemvendte krigere fra land som Syria er den største sikkerhetstrusselen.
British security forces arrested an Islamic extremist, returned from Syria, who had been preparing a terrorist act in London. This was reported by UK newspaper Daily Mail on its website. This is the first known case of a British Islamist, who fought in Syria, being accused of preparing terrorist attacks in the country, according to ITAR-TASS.
According to investigators, an Islamist is a British citizen, preparing a terrorist act, using explosives and firearms under the control of an extremist in Syria. According to intelligence services, the attack was supposed to be the most severe after the capital blast on July 7, 2005. Back then, the Islamic extremists set off several bombs in the London subway and buses. As a result, 52 people were killed, several hundred got injuries.
The British media reports that the suspected Muslim extremist had been recruited by a representative of a terrorist organization in Syria. He was instructed to arrange a terrorist attack in Great Britain and had received a large sum of money to buy weapons and bomb-making materials. In the UK, the Islamist found an accomplice. The plan of the terrorist attack was disclosed by British MI5 counterintelligence. The names of the Islamist in Syria and the accomplice, who had also been arrested, were not disclosed. The date of arrest has not been specified as well.
June 17 British Prime Minister David Cameron said the armed Islamic extremists in Syria and Iraq are the biggest threat to Britain’s security. He stressed that the particular danger appears to be the extremists, having British citizenship, who may go back to carry out terrorist attacks.
Earlier, the head of the group for Terrorism Prevention of the Association for the UK chief police officers, Peter Fahy said that at least 500 British Muslims went to Syria and Iraq to fight for the Islamists groups. According to the intelligence, many of them have already returned.