there's an awful lot of chatter in jihad

Lamest one yet:

British intelligence officials believe that al-Qaida is determined to attack the UK with a nuclear weapon, it emerged yesterday. The announcement, from an officially organised Foreign Office counter-terrorism briefing for the media, was the latest in a series of bleak assessments by senior officials and ministers about the terrorist threat facing Britain.

UK officials have detected "an awful lot of chatter" on jihadi websites expressing the desire to acquire chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons.

And that’s it. Incidentally, this didn’t get out last week.

Last week a British man, Dhiren Barot, was jailed for at least 40 years after pleading guilty to plotting attacks against the UK and US, including the use of a "dirty bomb". Such a device would spread low-level radiation, primarily causing panic among the public. In last week's case the plan would have needed material from 10,000 smoke alarms, leading some to doubt that the plot was viable.

But people who take terrorism really, really seriously thought it would be perfectly viable, and duly wetted their kecks.

The purpose of terrorists is to terrorise. It’s a shame that the security forces and large parts the British government have chosen to collaborate with them.

Comments

[CKR]

It gets tiresome, but I guess we have to keep repeating this.

Desire is not the same as consummation.

[ajay]

In last week's case the plan would have needed material from 10,000 smoke alarms, leading some to doubt that the plot was viable.

Probably the only people who scoff at this are people who'd never heard of David Hahn. (aka the Radioactive Boy Scout).

[Alex]

I'd almost forgotten about him. Indeed.

[andrew duffin]

Oh for heaven's sake.

Not that old Americium pish again.

Is there really no limit to the ignorance of those who wish to scare us?

Why don't they ask a chemist or two, before rushing into print? (See also under Acetone Peroxide, etc etc).

It's almost like they don't have any better scare stories to produce...