Mathaba : Lessons not learnt from London bombs, report warns

Lessons not learnt from London bombs, report warns

October 3, 2007

Britain remains open to another attack, due to a defunct and dangerous intelligence paradigm that has paralyzed this country's national security system, according to a new report published Wednesday.

The report by the Institute for Policy Research and Development (IPRD) criticises the government's refusal to investigate the July 7 bombings in London two years ago, warning that unresolved security loopholes increase the likelihood of another attack in future.

It calls for urgent reforms in security policy and resources, saying that the "moral and professional standards amongst our intelligence services have declined as a direct consequence of politicization".

"Collaboration with Islamist extremists in the UK for domestic and international intelligence purposes has been so extensive, it has obstructed security services from shutting down terror networks in this country even now," the report's author, Nafeez Ahmed said.

"We can keep extending the anti-terror laws as much as we like, but this won't make us any safer until such policy is scrutinized and reformed," argued Ahmed, who is also executive director of the independent think-tank for interdisciplinary security studies.

The report, which calls for a full inquiry into the 7/7 bombings, was said to have been backed by survivors and bereaved relatives of the series on attacks on London's transport system that killed 56 people and injured hundreds of others. --IRNA