Attacks unleash thorny debate on strategy

Terror attacks and election place May under microscope

LONDON, June 5, (AFP): A string of attacks claiming 34 lives in less than three months has sparked a tough debate about Britain’s counter-terror strategy and buffeted the country’s election campaign.

After seven people were killed in central London on Saturday, less than a fortnight after 22 concert-goers were slain by a suicide bomber in Manchester, Prime Minister Theresa May declared “enough is enough” and sketched plans for tougher anti-terror measures.

She pointed to longer jail terms for terrorism offences, even minor ones, and said internet companies should deny extremism a place in which to breed.

Other proposals floated in the British press include electronically tagging or even interning jihadists on watch lists, requiring proof of ID for unregistered SIM cards for mobile phones, and police background checks for people who want to rent a car immediately.

But after a one-day suspension of campaigning ahead of Thursday’s vote, May’s record has become a hot election issue and the ruling Conservatives – traditionally popular on the issue of security – find themselves on the back foot.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on Monday called on May to quit, pointing to the loss of 20,000 police jobs, mostly during her six years as interior minister under David Cameron.

Labour has promised to recruit more police officers, adding to neighbourhood security that it sees as an essential element for counter-terror strategies.

Pressure

Mark Garnett, a lecturer in politics at Lancaster University in northwest England, said Corbyn was trying to hit a sweet spot with just three days left before voting day.

“From Mrs May’s point of view, it’s very difficult for her to suggest anything radically different because of course she’s been in charge of security policy for the last seven years, either in overall charge or as home secretary,” he said. “I think she’s absolutely under terrible pressure.” Outside the political arena, commentators say tackling Islamic radicalisation is a delicate challenge, and electioneering could have unwanted consequences.

Meanwhile, three men with a white van and a stash of knives. Faced with such a simple and brutal plan for slaughter, there’s not much the world’s most sophisticated police and intelligence services can do.

Even monitoring suspected individuals can never absolutely guarantee they will be arrested before committing their grisly acts, if there is no sign that anything is imminent, experts and officials say.

“Low-tech attacks involving vehicles and knives have been on the increase recently as they are easily accessible and the most difficult for security services to stop,” said Alan Mendoza of Britain’s Henry Jackson Society.

He was speaking after Saturday night’s attack in central London which left seven dead after three knife-wielding men mowed down and stabbed revellers at the popular nightlife hub around London bridge.

“We will need further details before making a final assessment but this attack fits the pattern of recent ones in the West that have, at the very least, been inspired by groups like Islamic State,” said the HJS executive director.

Fight

Jihadist groups have for years been calling on their supporters to take up the fight where they live, using any means at their disposal, rather than travelling to Iraq or Syria to battle Western-backed forces there.

“The simpler the action is, the less operational preparation is needed, such as buying equipment, weapons and explosives, and the more complicated it is to detect them, because their behaviour is less suspicious,” Yves Trotignon, a former member of the French DGSE anti-terrorism agency told AFP.

“Counter-terrorism is prevention,” he said. “People are arrested when we have things against them, when we have reasons to believe that a crime is going to be committed. It’s possible when people are known, and watched, or when they appear suddenly on the radar because they are preparing something.

“But if this something is simply renting a van, no alarm goes off,” he said.

May is seeking re-election as a tough leader to take Britain through Brexit, but her “strong and stable” image is under close scrutiny after a string of terror attacks and campaign missteps ahead of Thursday’s vote.

May won praise in many quarters for her initial responses to the Manchester concert bombing and Saturday night’s rampage in London, which left seven people dead.

But by focusing much of her Conservative party’s campaign on her rival Jeremy Corbyn’s security credentials, she has faced accusations of politicising the attacks.

A U-turn on a key manifesto proposal to fund elderly social care was also damaging, while some voters also expressed irritation that she called the snap vote despite promising not to.