Growing influence of Al Qaeda in Britain single most serious threat to West

Washington, Jan. 16 (ANI): A U.S. intelligence report, conducted in the wake of the failed Christmas Day flight bombing bid by a British student, has warned that the increasing use of Britain as a base to plot terror attacks constitutes "a serious threat to the security of Britain and other Western countries".

"The level of al-Qaeda activity in Britain is becoming a major source of concern. The organisation's ability to use Britain as a base to plot terror attacks constitutes a serious threat to the security of Britain and other Western countries," The Telegraph quoted a senior US State Department official, as saying.

As US intelligence officials attempt to prevent further attacks - after Nigerian-origin Detroit bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab revealed that there were another 25 fully-trained al-Qaeda terrorists ready to carry out similar terror attacks against Western targets - the growing strength of al-Qaeda's support in Britain has emerged as a major concern for them.

American officials, who regularly refer to "Londonistan" because of the high concentration of Islamic radicals in the capital, believe the figure is growing all the time.

They point out that recent al-Qaeda terror attacks planned in Britain have been the work of British-based Muslims, many of whom have been trained in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

With al-Qaeda's leadership under intense pressure from Nato and Pakistani security forces, there are reports that scores of British activists are now travelling to Yemen and Somalia to attend al-Qaeda training camps and receive instructions for carrying out terror attacks against Western targets.

"Whichever way you look at it Yemen has now emerged as one of al-Qaeda's top training grounds for its global terrorist network. And what really concerns us now is the number of British-based Muslims who are traveling there to take part in the training," said a senior U.S. intelligence official. (ANI)