‘War on terror’ moves into cyberspace

[themuslimweekly.com] Britain’s
security agencies are fighting a covert war in cyberspace against
extremist internet sites as part of a new anti-terrorist strategy,
senior Whitehall officials revealed this week. The scheme is part of
measures being introduced at a time when the threat level is described
as being «at the severe end of severe», with, officials say, extremist
groups determinedly attempting new attacks. As well running its own
sites, the Government gives material support to groups that monitor and
combat jihadist material on the web in an attempt to prevent
indoctrination of young Muslims. The Office for Security and Counter
Terrorism (OSCT), recently set up to co-ordinate operations against
al-Qa’ida and its supporters, has been tasked with proactive action to
disrupt terrorist networks as well as carrying out a «hearts and minds»
campaign within Britain’s Muslim population. One would-be bomber was
caught using information received from a mosque. This help, said a
senior source, is essential, with increasing evidence of «lone
terrorists», many Muslim converts from Christianity, who are difficult
to track because they have no «footprints» in established suspect
groups. Lone terrorists, as well as groups of Islamists, are said to be
planning bombings based on «kitchen chemistry» and are absorbing an
aggressive Islamism from the internet, according to security officials,
making it vital that counter-terrorist efforts focus on the web.

Source: http://themuslimweekly.com