If it is indeed true, as the Sunday Times alleges, that MI5 withheld from the Parliamentary Intelligence & Security Committee transcripts of bugging tapes of Mohammad Sidique Khan talking about how to build bombs and then leave the country, then there will be a huge political fallout. It highlights just how unaccountable our security services have become that they think they can get away with this. What it also does is highlight the need for a full public inquiry. 7/7 victim Rachel North (and a blogger) told the Sunday Times: "I am shaking with anger. In the absence of an independent public inquiry answering the public's questions I had hoped that those who heard the evidence behind closed doors on our behalf would find out the answers for us. They did not find out the whole truth and I feel badly, desperately let down." I am not surprised she feels let down. David Davis, I imagine, will be calling for a statement from the Home Secretary tomorrow. He says: "It seems that MI5 taped Mohammad Sidique Khan talking about his wish to fight in the jihad and saying his goodbyes to his family - a clear indication that he was intending a suicide mission...he was known to have attended late-stage discussions on planning another major terror attack. Again, I ask the Home Secretary whether that is true." I heard John Reid on 5 Live on Thursday saying that an independent inquiry would take resources away from the fight against terrorism, a very weak argument if ever I heard one. The whole point of an independent inquiry would be to help us understand what happened and why it happened. A blame game would be ridiculous. But the results of such an inquiry should help us to prevent a similar outrage happening again. If the Home Secretary really wants to make a good start in his new job he should annouce tomorrow that such an inquiry will start work as soon as possible. He'd get the full support of all Opposition parties and the country too. And Rachel North might be able to sleep at night.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
MI5 Hid Terror Tapes from Parliamentary Committee
If it is indeed true, as the Sunday Times alleges, that MI5 withheld from the Parliamentary Intelligence & Security Committee transcripts of bugging tapes of Mohammad Sidique Khan talking about how to build bombs and then leave the country, then there will be a huge political fallout. It highlights just how unaccountable our security services have become that they think they can get away with this. What it also does is highlight the need for a full public inquiry. 7/7 victim Rachel North (and a blogger) told the Sunday Times: "I am shaking with anger. In the absence of an independent public inquiry answering the public's questions I had hoped that those who heard the evidence behind closed doors on our behalf would find out the answers for us. They did not find out the whole truth and I feel badly, desperately let down." I am not surprised she feels let down. David Davis, I imagine, will be calling for a statement from the Home Secretary tomorrow. He says: "It seems that MI5 taped Mohammad Sidique Khan talking about his wish to fight in the jihad and saying his goodbyes to his family - a clear indication that he was intending a suicide mission...he was known to have attended late-stage discussions on planning another major terror attack. Again, I ask the Home Secretary whether that is true." I heard John Reid on 5 Live on Thursday saying that an independent inquiry would take resources away from the fight against terrorism, a very weak argument if ever I heard one. The whole point of an independent inquiry would be to help us understand what happened and why it happened. A blame game would be ridiculous. But the results of such an inquiry should help us to prevent a similar outrage happening again. If the Home Secretary really wants to make a good start in his new job he should annouce tomorrow that such an inquiry will start work as soon as possible. He'd get the full support of all Opposition parties and the country too. And Rachel North might be able to sleep at night.
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4 comments:
Good idea Iain. We haven't had a decent whitewash for a while.
I'm not sure why people expect the 'secret' services to tell the truth to an enquiry because it is public. It doesn't make sense. They are even more likely to try to cover up. Just ask anyone who knows anything about the Bloody Sunday affair. It would end up costing a zillion... and no-one would be any the wiser, and they would all wonder around talking of a cover-up.
I think the fact is, we just have to accept from the outset that the security services cocked-up big-style. It shouldn't even surprise us. On one hand people complain about the 'surveillance society' and then they kick off if there isn't enough of it. If the security and secret services couldn't prevent bombing attempts by the IRA, including two audacious attacks on the Cabinet, when they were dealing with a known enemy that they had infiltrated up to the very top, what chance have they got against four relatively unknown youths determined to kill themselves in their efforts to murder others?
As for the notion that these people may have done it because of the illegal war in Iraq... so what? Is any Government going to determine our foreign policy on the basis of what four terrorists might do? I bloody hope not.
What is "our" foreign policy exactly, Bob? I haven't been too sure for quite some time..........
Whilst the Tories were in power they permitted public inquiries despite the fact that they might be damaging to the then government. New Labour have singularly failed to permit similar transparency. But why should that surprise us. If the government will not permit
a public inquiry over such a horrensdous terrorist outrage, when will it? Whilst not wishing to blame them, our security services appear to have failed us just as they appear to have done over WMD. We need to know why.
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