More terror in the papers

More terror in Sunday's papers with talk of anthrax, nerve gas and cyanide. The latter Sunday Times report oddly has "intelligence sources" talking about cyanide, but later the same report says nothing has been found in the house.

The Telegraph report however, who also have "security sources", say that the chemical in question was more likely to be sarin. How can both newspapers have conflicting reports from the same intelligence services? Either they're lying or the police and security services need to look at their media management.

Both newspapers report a rollback from yesterday's reports that the police were on the lookout for an actual bomb. There's no mention at all of the Times's suicide belt. If the papers are not careful there will be widespread boy-who-cried-wolf syndrome about their reporting.

Also see Lenin on the News of the World's assertion that the man who was shot was not hit by the police, but by his brother. What incredible bad luck - 250 officers to aim at but you shoot your brother. Also see BlairWatch.

Comments

[bd]

Worth noting Mail on sunday editorial comment :

"Why the need for shock and awe in tackling terror?"

Has the 'War on Terror' lost its way? All too often it seems to be a pretext for the spreading of panic and the exaggeration of fear - combined with a failure to foresee or prevent actual outrages.

We have had tanks uselessly deployed at Heathrow Airport, the non-existent plan to attack Manchester United, the fantasy plot to poison the people of London with ricin - and the shooting dead of a wholly innocent man, mistaken for a suicide bomber.

And now we have the East London poison raid.

This was no simple arrest. There are suggestions that it was preceded by lengthy and rather obvious surveillance. Then, in conditions of total publicity, the authorities deployed a force of police large enough to invade a small country and even imposed an air exclusion zone. A man has been shot and wounded. There is as yet no sign of the poisoned suicide vest supposedly being sought.

A tip from an informant, grandiosely described as 'intelligence', suggested a serious danger. Quite properly, the police decided that the tip needed to be investigated. Presumably, their inquiries suggested that an arrest was justified.

And from that point on, the matter is rightly one for the criminal justice system. But it is the manner in which the arrest was carried out that is questionable. Were the extraordinary numbers of officers really needed, when the public are constantly being told that there is not enough manpower available to deal with ordinary crime and disorder? Was the shooting a justified use of extreme force, or a needless bungle?

If police were hoping to capture alleged terrorists in possession of dangerous materials, why was the area not evacuated first?

The way in which the action was conducted kindles the suspicion that it had a propaganda purpose as well as a security purpose - that it was intended to demonstrate the vigilance and striking power of MI5 and the police just as much as it was aimed at collaring alleged terrorists.

Coming so soon after the new Home Secretary's self-publicising appearance at a raid on alleged illegal immigrants, and at the end of another disastrous week for the Government as a whole, it also raises another disturbing question: was the planning of the operation influenced by political considerations?

Of course terrorism has to be fought and terrorists caught and punished. But subtlety and cunning are often better weapons in this battle than noise and bluster. And whose purpose does it serve by spreading alarm and fear?

[http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/newscomment.html?in_article_id=388993&in_page_id=1787&in_a_source=#AddComment]

[Osama]

A very uncharacteristic Mail position indeed! And probably says it all about this operation.

[jamal]

Apparantly the brother shooting brother was a fabrication. maybe to justify the police tactics? so many hours of intelligence, 250 police, and they shot an unarmed many and brutalised their next dooe neighbours. Something sounds very wrong about all this.

[Osama Bin Lalluh]

I am appalled at the performance of the British Police. The really piss me off! They simply put jam into the tea again. Well, first they shot a Brazilian based on the assumption that he was a Pakistani (because he was dark!). Secondly, they raid the home of Muslim in search of "anthrax". somehow, they shot the occupant. More increadible, they were not sure whether they fired the shot! Of course, the presecution will continue. Dear brothers and sisters, please wait and see.