Al-Qaida poses greater threat than ever to Britain

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Al-Qaida has regrouped and is a greater threat than ever before, according to British intelligence officials, media outlets reported Thursday. The Guardian newspaper and the British Broadcasting Corp. quoted unnamed counterterrorism officials as saying that despite a four-year campaign against it, the group had recovered its core organization in Pakistan and was fed by a steady stream of volunteers. Intelligence experts believed al-Qaida saw Britain as a key target because of the large number of Britons with connections to Pakistan and heavy traffic between the two countries, the reports said. "Al-Qaida sees the UK as a massive opportunity to cause loss of life and embarrassment to the authorities," The Guardian quoted an unnamed intelligence source as saying. It reported that the source had said al-Qaida saw the July 7, 2005, transit bombings that killed 52 commuters and the four bombers "as just the beginning."