This Sceptered Isle... This Terror Sanctuary

England has been a bulldog in Iraq, but it continues to be soft and too delighted by its own "tolerance" when it comes to domestic policing of terrorists.

France takes internal terrorist threats seriously; despite a bit of tightening after 9-11, England still does not:

BEIRUT - When Islamic militants massacred 58 tourists in Egypt in 1997, the government issued a list of 14 most-wanted militants it accused of inspiring the attacks. Half were living in London, and none were arrested.

A year later, when suicide bombers attacked two U.S. embassies in East Africa, killing 224 people, three men with ties to Egyptian militant groups were arrested in London for circulating claims of responsibility. They are still fighting extradition to the United States.

For two decades, London has been a haven for Islamic militants fleeing crackdowns in the Middle East. Yesterday, for the first time, the city appeared to fall victim to Islamist violence.

...

"These militant networks kept growing for years, under the British government's nose," said a retired Egyptian security official who asked not to be named. "They were allowed to preach, to raise money and to send recruits to fight in militant causes all over the world."

Hopefully this will change. A committment to openness and tolerance should not be a suicide pact.

posted by Ace at 12:11 PM

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