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House of the Ricin Sun

The paranoia that accompanied words like “box-cutter” and “anthrax” has returned. It’s returned in the form of a contact poison called ricin, and instead of hiding the carry-on bags of first class passengers or business-sized envelopes, the focus has turned to the flats of the United Kingdom. The British government, used to dealing with dangerous cells from its tangles with the Irish Republican Army, has now launched a major offensive designed to arrest individuals who may be plotting an attack. Most terrifying of course has been that when the initial arrests were made in Manchester, England, only trace amounts were found, leading Scotland Yard to continue a crackdown. Making matters all the worse was that another forced entry in Manchester ended with a police officer being killed by a suspect resisting arrest. Law enforcement, having lost one of its own over the ricin ring has moved to London. The Finsbury Park Mosque was the subject of a massive raid early Monday morning.
The increased police pressure seems to indicate that an attack is coming, but where? Given ricin’s use as a contact poison, the leading fear is that a small amount would be placed on the London Underground. The impact would be much like the anthrax letters: the actual risk to a person would be minimal, but the fear of dying huge as nearly all Londoners rely on the subway. Then again, the letters targeted heads of state, not the common man. Could it be that the once world-famous post could be the harbinger of doom to come? Or could it all be a distraction towards another plot? Is the real attack going to take another form whilst the bobbies chase rumors of hidden labs in the neighbors’ attic?
Maybe the most delicious irony of all is that many people are suspicious of the raids as publicity stunts by Prime Minister Tony Blair to help convince the otherwise reluctant British that war in Iraq and the threat of terror is real and imminent. There’s no doubt that Al Qaeda needs another successful attack. However it seeks to do so to help raise funds which are starting to wane. The immolation of a Bali night club in October has alleviated this cash crunch, but not for long. After attacks in Africa, the Middle East, the US and Southeast Asia, Europe must be worried that so far bin Laden is nowhere to be found.
They should also keep in mind Al Qaeda case history. The group tends to stage attacks that it believes will kill in the hundreds. It guessed wrong in 2000 (barely denting the USS Cole), but was pleasantly surprised in 2001. Law enforcement hopes for a disappointment again.

posted by Thomas at 10:39 PM 0 comments