Iraqi special forces uncover plot for ‘major attack on UK by British-based terrorists’
Terrorists in Britain are planning an attack on a public gathering in the UK, it has been claimed. Islamic State terrorists based in the UK are reportedly preparing for a ‘big attack’.
The chilling news came from Iraq’s senior counter-terror officer, who says his team has uncovered the latest ISIS plot. The Mirror exclusively revealed the warning after joining the Iraqi Counter Terror Service, in Baghdad.
Troops were training for their next assault on the Daesh – thought to be the world’s most-feared terror group. General Abdul Wahab el-Saadi’s special forces, known as the Golden Division, uncovered the plans.
They killed dozens of militants in a desert hideout and found plans for an attack against the UK just days ago, Mirror Online reports. General Abdul Wahab el-Saadi warned: “We know ISIS have been talking to UK-based terrorists and we know what they are planning. It is a big attack.”
The 60-year-old added: “We discovered that the UK is the next target outside Iraq. In the past few weeks we launched major operations against Daesh or Islamic State and killed large numbers of terrorists, in one raid there were about five of them, all quite senior.
“I can tell you that from the information we found at the site of one of our recent raids the next intended terror attack will be in the United Kingdom.”
He went on to claim the terrorists are British nationals. The Mirror agreed to keep secret some of the details shared by Gen al-Saadi as western intelligence agencies are working to bring down the plot.
It is understood they had already been alerted by senior Iraqi intelligence officials. Gen al-Saadi said the attack could be in a public place.
He said: “The Islamic State fighters we are coming up against here are Iraqis and we no longer believe there are foreign fighters in our country. But we do have evidence that terrorists here are in contact with extremists in the United Kingdom, and that they are plotting.
“I cannot tell what form the attack they want to launch would take as it can be a car, a knife, a gun, a bomb. I do not have those details for you except that it will, if it happens, be in a public place of the type I have described to you.
“We have given all of the information to the British authorities so they know about it. The four priority countries in Europe are the UK, France, Belgium and Germany.”
Gen al-Saadi spoke out as his troops trained in sweltering 46C heat at Baghdad Airport. The Mirror has been in Iraq to see how the country has changed in the 20 years since the controversial US-led invasion launched in 2003.
It paved the way for al-Qaeda to grow, which eventually morphed into Islamic State. Iraq’s top counter-terror units have been busting Islamic State hideouts across the country in the past few weeks.
Referring to Iraq’s Sunni triangle, Gen al-Saadi said: “Definitely there are cells from Anbar Province up to Saladin, north of Baghdad, also south of Mosul there are cells and in the Hamrin Mountains, north-east Iraq.
“A few days ago we carried an operation in Anbar and killed 22, some of them senior members of Daesh. Also recently we carried out a big operation in the north killing five.
“We are in the front line in this war against Islamic State and we are paying in blood to protect countries like Britain.” Iraq’s remaining ISIS terrorists are thought to be hiding in desert caves throughout the Sunni triangle and in the north west, according to the general.
The Mirror understands a detachment of UK special forces will enter Iraq in the coming weeks to help train more counter-terror troops. The UK terror threat level, set by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, is currently ‘substantial’ – which means that an attack is ‘likely’.
A western security source told the Mirror: “Whilst Islamic State is holed up in caves and other hideouts in Iraq and Syria, the UK is still in danger. The threat is manyfold, but mainly comes from small numbers of extremists radicalised or inspired by ISIS activities in places like Iraq.
“Our security agencies are working around the clock to disrupt and tackle anyone planning to launch attacks against civilians and the threat is constantly changing. Behind the scenes, the UK’s counter-terror teams are operating in the shadows, throwing resources at tracking down and disrupting extremist plotters.”
Source » msn
