Word: ranstorp
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...radical, anti-American stance of its one-eyed, steel-clawed cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri, but the Brixton Mosque adherents say that in their strict orthodox teaching, terrorism and suicide bombing are condemned to the point that they earn hostility from extremist factions. And according to Magnus Ranstorp, deputy director of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at Scotland's St. Andrews University, the mosques themselves are not the problem anyway. The real threat is from the al-Qaeda talent spotters, trusted men of battle-hardened experience who use the mosques to find fresh terrorist operatives...
Extremist centers like Finsbury Park and radical groups like the British-based Al-Muhajiroun may provide the milieu, Ranstorp says, "but these talent spotters and handlers are the really worrisome parts of al-Qaeda. They can tap into new recruits and dispatch them as well. Unless we get them, we're not making any inroads." Though Britain has some new anti-terrorism laws, there is no sign yet of apprehending or even identifying them...
...including ex-convicts it helps rehabilitate. A criminal background is a useful indication that the candidate is not afraid to break the law. Recruiters often approach their targets at small, private Islamic study groups that meet outside the mosques. They "probe the psychological makeup of a possible operative," says Ranstorp. "You must display extreme calm in stressful situations...
Reid demonstrated his nerve in July when he flew to Israel and passed El Al's intensive scrutiny, after raising suspicions during security screening. "That was the litmus test of his ability to withstand pressure," says Ranstorp, who surmises Reid's trip involved learning about explosives - or acquiring them - since the type found in his shoes is similar to that used by Palestinian terror groups. His use of such a sophisticated explosive persuaded Ranstorp that Reid did not work alone, as some believe. Although no al-Qaeda links have been proved, a French justice official says: "Even...
...like Afghanistan, the terrorists' capacity to conceive and carry out grand attacks in a centralized manner has clearly been undermined. Trouble is, not all the terrorism inspired by al-Qaeda needs to be handed down from the top. "They can be self-initiating at the grassroots level," says Magnus Ranstorp, a terrorism expert at St. Andrews University in Scotland. "Each individual member considers himself to have the authority to issue a fatwa. If we look only for the leadership and traditional nature of authority, it's a mistake...