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'Muslim extremists in UK police'
07/07/2007 08:46 - (SA)
London - Up to eight people believed to have links to Islamist extremists, including Al-Qaeda, are working in Britain's police service, the Daily Mail said on Saturday, citing an intelligence service file.
The newspaper said Britain's domestic intelligence service MI5 had drawn up a secret document containing the names of alleged radicals, including serving officers, said to be working in London's Metropolitan Police and other forces.
Some on the list are believed to have attended extremist training camps or radical Islamic schools in Pakistan or Afghanistan while others visited pro-jihad websites or had links to firebrand Muslim preachers, it added.
But none has been dismissed because police do not have legal authority to do so, the newspapers said.
The article comes amid concern about vetting procedures for foreign doctors working in Britain's state-run National Health Service (NHS) following the three failed car bomb attacks in London and Glasgow in the last week.
Most of the seven people under arrest on suspicion of involvement are thought to be either doctors or linked to the NHS.
Information about rescue procedures
The Daily Mail said the second booby-trapped Mercedes car in central London last Friday was left at a designated "evacuation assembly point" where the public and emergency services would have gone had the first exploded.
It said detectives were working to determine if those responsible had information about rescue procedures after an atrocity in the British capital.
In response to the article, a Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said all officers and civilian staff undergo security checks before joining and after.
"These are robust and vary according to the type and sensitivity of the individual posting," she said.
"We take matters of security very seriously and if any issues arise about individuals they may be subject to further assessment.
"This could lead to restrictions being put in place relating to where an individual may work in the organisation or could lead to their dismissal."
She added: "If the media believe that an individual has terrorist links and they have evidence which they can substantiate we would ask that they give us this information as a matter of urgency so that we can carry out an investigation."
- AFP
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