Report shows 1,000 potential terrorists in Britain

THE network of people prepared to involve themselves in terror attacks in Britain is about 1,000 but it has grown sharply in recent years, figures show.

According to a report by MPs into last year’s July 7 bombings in London, MI5 was aware of around 250 possible suspects at the time of the September 11 attacks in the US in 2001.

By July 2004 the number of “primary investigative targets” had doubled to 500, the Intelligence and Security Committee’s report said.

A year later, at the time of the London bombings, the number had leapt again to around 800, the report said.

Prof Paul Wilkinson of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at St Andrews University said: “Now we are talking about over 1,000.”

But there may also be others. Investigators recognise Mohammad Sidique Khan as the informal leader of the London bombers group, but concede that the full picture may not have emerged.

“The extent to which others may have been involved in indoctrinating the group ... or been involved in the planning, is unknown at this stage,” the official narrative report into the attacks — separate to the ISC report — said.

Although the figures may appear small, last year’s London bombings illustrate the possible carnage by a handful of plotters.

“Terrorism doesn’t require large numbers of people to carry out attacks,” Prof Wilkinson said. The report highlights how seemingly small numbers of suspects have left the intelligence community overstretched.

“An intensive operation, for example into imminent attack planning, can consume almost half of the Security Service’s operational and investigative resources,” the report said.

It is unclear how stretched the service actually is.