Say Anything Blog

As the ACLU and Democrats here in America continue to castigate what they call "Bush tapping our phone lines" as well as criticize the U.S. Treasury Deparatment's tracking of terrorist funding networks it comes to light in Britain that the terrorists who were to have blown up some ten airliners headed for the U.S. were caught using these very techniques. Techniques the liberal left opposes and the media exposes every chance they get.

Based on the information from Pakistan, MI5 began its watching operation last year. The BBC last night reported the operation began in July, but The Scotsman understands it started several months earlier.

In the initial stages, counter-terrorism officers watched from a distance. By sifting telephone records, e-mails and bank records, the MI5 officers built up what insiders call "concentric circles" of information, gradually connecting each suspect to others and building up a detailed picture of the conspiracy.

The operation, Whitehall officials said yesterday, was "very definitely MI5-led." The men arrested had long been on the security service's list of more than 1,000 "priority" targets: people thought likely to provide active support for terrorism.

If people like Democrat Russ Feingold and the folks at the ACLU had their way this attack probably could have been carried out. Which just goes to show how these people put politics and "beating Bush" over national security.

Update:

More from the Wall Street Journal:

The plot was foiled because a large number of people were under surveillance concerning their spending, travel and communications. Which leads us to wonder if Scotland Yard would have succeeded if the ACLU or the New York Times had first learned the details of such surveillance programs.

Read the whole thing.