Islamic State fighters in Syria, via VICE News
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Claims that a woman in Glasgow is poised to carry out a terrorist attack are being investigated by Police in Scotland with the help of the London Met.
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A team of undercover journalists from Sky News raised the possibility of a plot after they contacted two Islamic State recruiters operating out of Syria. After creating two fake identities, the journalists contacted Junaid – or “Abu” – Hussain and Sally Jones –otherwise known as Umm Hussain. Originally from the UK, the married couple recruit sympathetic young Britons who have been radicalised.
Jones sent the journalists a bomb-making manual and indicated VJ Day celebrations on the 15th of August – commemorating the victory over Japan in the Second World War – as a possible target event. She also mentioned the Royal Family, and claimed to be in contact with a girl in Glasgow who is preparing an attack. As soon as Jones revealed this information to Sky News, the police were contacted.
The current “terror threat level” in the UK remains unchanged at “severe”. Assistant Chief Constable Ruaraidh Nicolson, from Police Scotland’s organised crime, counter terrorism and safer communities team, said in a statement: “We are working closely with our security partners and we remain alert to all terrorist threats that may manifest here or where individuals overseas may seek to direct or inspire others to commit attacks in and against the UK.”
Ali Khan, executive chairman of Roshni, an organisation that works with ethnic minorities in Scotland, was reported in the Herald as calling for a sustained social media campaign to counter the influence of groups such as Islamic State. He pointed out that “unfortunately there are young, vulnerable and perhaps misguided young people all over the UK who are seen as targets to be manipulated”.
Sky News insists its investigation proves that IS groups are shifting away from encouraging British sympathisers to travel to the Middle East to fight, and instead are fomenting home-grown radicalism in order to carry out attacks in Europe.
