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November 13, 2005
UK: MI5 Needs 800 Spies Against Islamic Threat
Eliza Manningham-Butler, the director-general of MI5, one of Britain's two intelligence agencies, has submitted a report to Charles Clarke, the UK Home Secretary, requesting additional funding for the organisation, reports the Sunday Times.
The requested funding is believed to be in excess of 50 million pounds a year ($85m), with much of the money to be allocated to G branch, the international and Islamic terrorism unit. Hundreds of spies, surveillance and desk officers are to be recruited, with young Muslims also expected to join, for their abilities to infiltrate extremist jiahist groups.
Last year the organisation's budget was increased, which allowed MI5 to recruit 1000 extra staff, but even with the extra staff, there were gaps in surveillance in the period leading up to the 7/7 London bombings.
Currently five terrorist groups are under surveillance, with activities at varying stages of development, and at least two major plots were broken open this year. One of these terror plots is now the subject of court proceedings.
Eliza Manningham-Butler will be presenting her case for more funding to a comittee led by Paul Murphy, former Northern Ireland Secretary, before December. The committee is currently investigating the intelligence shortfalls prior to the 7/7 assault on London Transport, which killed 52 people. The leader of the terror cell, Mohammed Siddique Khan, had been on a surveillance a year ago, but the monitoring ceased when it was decided Khan posed no security risk.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at November 13, 2005 8:20 PM
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