MI5: Israeli attacks will provoke UK extremists
Wednesday, 7 January 2009 12:00 AM
By Laura Miller
In a rare interview with the Guardian newspaper, Jonathan Evans warned of a direct link between events abroad and security risks at home.
Evans' gloomy forecast is that, aside from the serious humanitarian crisis developing in Gaza, another disastrous affect of the Israeli invasion will be "extremists trying to radicalise individuals [in Britain] for their own purposes".
"No single path" contributed to individuals turning to violent extremism but research suggested one factor is foreign policy.
Many groups in the UK have expressed anger at Gordon Brown's failure to publicly denounce Israel's actions.
"It is a tragedy that our own leaders in government have yet to issue a clear, firm censure of the Israeli action," said Dr Daud Abdullah, the deputy secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain.
"We are at a loss why our elected representatives have apparently frustrated efforts to condemn what world leaders have described as 'barbaric and criminal aggression' emanating from the state of Israel."
At the start of the year thousands of British citizens marched in cities across the country in opposition to Israel's bombardment of Gaza. More protests are planned.
Lindsey German, the national convener for the Stop The War Coalition, which helped organise the largest protest at London's Trafalgar Square described what is happening in Gaza as "complete barbarism".
Former ambassador Craig Murray reported that despite Gordon Brown's public call for a ceasefire, UK delegates to the UN are under instructions to tacitly support US attempts to block any ceasefire.
The M15 chief also remarked on the effect of the economic crisis on Britain's security and warned of growing threats from the east, including Chinese cyber warfare.
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