London and Madrid

Matthew Levitt at the Counterterrorism blog has the following speculations about the London attacks: Terror in London, Echoes of Madrid? 07/07/05

It is still too early to definitvely say who carried out these attacks. But as the investigation into the London bombings proceeds, authorities should not be surprised if the evidence reveals a more critical link to the Madrid attacks. Al Qaeda's modus operandi is shifting away from centralized or even regional oversight of attacks to a more independent, localized operational model that includes both experienced operatives and newly radicalized adherents to al Qaeda's ideology of global jihad.

In all likelihood, these attacks, like those in Madrid, were carried out not by members of al Qaeda itself or even members of its known affiliate groups but by a motley crew of fellow travelers who banded together to execute this particular al Qaeda-style attack. The group will likely include some relatively new members and some experienced jihadists, and some of the latter may even have ties to known al Qaeda operatives. It should not surprise if authorities determine that funding for the London attacks was raised locally, as it was in Madrid. And investigators will likely find that radical preachers in Europe in general and London in particular, played a central role in the radicalization of these fellow travelers. London has long been home to many such preachers, including Abu Qatada and Abu Hamza al Masri, whose radical preaching earned London the moniker “Londonistan.”