Century of Jihad (9 page)

Ahmed switched on the TV and sat staring at the screen. He saw the images it projected, but he wasn’t really taking in what was being transmitted – he was still trying to get his own thoughts together. These thoughts moved to his family. How would his parents and his young sisters feel about his calling? How would they react to the news, when they learned about what he had become involved in? How would they respond to the inevitable police and media attention, and the pressure that would accompany that attention? He knew they would be sad at the loss of a family member. He trusted that their faith would see them through the grieving process, and enable them to understand that it was the oppression of their faith and its people that had driven him, and many other young Muslims all over the world, to take up arms.

Ahmed once again prayed that he would be worthy of his calling, and that he would not betray the trust that had been placed in him.

The police officer in the TV repair van spoke into his radio,

‘Oscar two zero, you are clear to go.’

The Security Service officer, in an unmarked white van parked further down the street, responded, ‘Oscar two zero, Roger.’

Seconds later, two Security Service Covert Entry officers emerged from the unmarked white van through its sliding side door and headed towards what they hoped would be an empty mid-terrace house. Approaching the premises cautiously, they discreetly observed the street scene around them. On reaching the front door, one of the officers produced a front door key which had been found in the stolen BMW used by the nightclub bombers. This was a ‘shot in the dark’, but the BMW’s owner had been adamant that the key did not belong to him. As the officer inserted the key in the lock, he prayed that his bosses’ instincts were right. He gently turned the key. There was a click, and he cautiously pushed the door open. The officers looked at each other, relief showing on their faces at not having to fiddle with the lock to gain entry to the premises. Time being of the essence, every second counted in these covert entry ops.

The two officers entered a small entrance hall and quietly shut the front door. They stood listening for a moment. All was still. They moved forward, out of the entrance hall and into the living room. One of them placed a small black canvas bag he had been carrying onto the floor in the middle of the small room. They paused again, looking around the room.

One of the officers whispered, ‘If we place the camera over there, on the display unit, we will have good coverage of the room.’

He removed the small device from the canvas bag and walked over to the display unit, placing the camera carefully in such a way that it could not be seen, but ensuring it was not obstructed in any way. Returning to the bag, he removed a small listening device which he placed behind a figurine on the display unit. Their job downstairs completed, one of the officers grabbed the bag, then both men proceeded up the stairs where they placed a listening device in each of the two small bedrooms. They then left the premises as stealthily as they had entered. The entire operation had taken less than five minutes.

It was getting dark as Ed and Lisa parked their unmarked police car in the street. Leaving the vehicle, they walked in silence towards the TV repair van, parked just down the road from the row of terraced properties containing the house under surveillance. Ed tapped on the sliding door on the side of the vehicle, and the door slid open. Inside were two officers. The male officer was monitoring the CCTV screen, as the female officer ushered Ed and Lisa inside the darkened interior. In a hushed voice, she introduced herself,

‘Hi. I’m Rashida, and this is Pete. Welcome to our humble abode. Make yourselves at home. There’s been no activity from the house for a while now. Two males arrived outside the premises in an old Vauxhall, with false licence plates, at 1400. We had just started the surveillance op, and the entry team weren’t long out of the premises. The curtains are drawn, as you can see. I don’t know what you’ve been told about how we got here. Basically we got lucky for once. The two characters we are watching stole the BMW used by the club bombers just a mile or so from here – no attempt to hide their faces. Quite brazenly they tried a few cars, then found the old BMW, opened the door, and a few seconds later drove off. They wouldn’t have found the new models so obliging! Anyway, it just wasn’t their day! They drove it straight back here. There’s plenty of CCTV coverage on the way here from the scene of the theft. Although this is a mainly residential area, you will have noticed, just down from where we’re parked, there’s a big toy store with a large car park with CCTV coverage. One of the cameras picked them up as they arrived back here. They got out of the car they had just stolen and went straight up to their front door. It’s as if they wanted us to find them.’

Ed just muttered, ‘Hmm’, to this statement. He then spoke. ‘The car was stolen two days ago. Presumably, it wasn’t left outside their house?’

Rashida replied, ‘There are garages, allocated to each of the houses in this row, around the back of the terrace. They could have put it in one of those.’

‘Have you heard anything of interest from them since they got here?’ Ed asked.

Rashida responded, ‘They have talked a lot about the club bombing. They are British, at least they speak with English accents. They are very pleased with the success of the operation. They have been listening to the news coverage on the TV. They are armed; AK47’s. They pray and they have been discussing their orders. They are saying they must die in the ‘’shoot out", and that they must kill as many of the ‘’pigs" as possible; that their brothers await their arrival in paradise.’

‘What shoot out?’ Ed asked.

‘It’s not clear,’ replied Rashida.

Ed went quiet, allowing himself to think. Were these people so inept, or was this ‘catalogue of errors’ a plot to lure the security forces into a trap? He concluded the latter was the case, took out his mobile phone and dialled.

‘Inspector. It’s Ed Malone. I’m with the surveillance team at the terrace. I’ve spoken with them about the suspects’ movements; what they’ve been saying. These people are heavily armed and don’t appear to be going anywhere. They are waiting for us. Their intention is to die in the shoot out when we come for them, and to take as many of us with them as they can. I believe this was the plan from the start. I think we still may have an element of surprise over them. I don’t think they believe we are onto them yet. In my view, they are just cannon fodder. The strings are being pulled from somewhere else, that’s for sure.’

DI Ward responded, ‘OK, Ed. I’ll speak with the boss. Maybe it’s time for us to oblige them with our presence. CO19 are already deployed at the scene to contain the situation, and react to any developments.’

Ed reflected after the phone went dead. All these suicide missions. These string pullers certainly knew how to cover their arses. Get your minions to martyr themselves, which conveniently covers any trail leading back to you.

Ahmed closed the door behind him as he left his small and dingy bedsit for the short walk to the Brunel Arcade. The howling wind and icy, cold rain battered his senses. His breath billowed in the cold December air. As he approached the Arcade through the

Saturday throng of Swindon shopping centre, he felt a nervous tension coursing through his body tinged with, what he felt to be, an element of excitement. Deep in his own thoughts, Ahmed was almost oblivious to his surroundings. The hustle and bustle, the noise, the pushing and jostling, didn’t enter his consciousness. He and his team were about to embark on their long awaited mission.

On entering the Arcade, Ahmed suddenly felt the warmth of the enclosed precinct enveloping him like a warm blanket. He walked briskly through the Arcade, which was full of Christmas shoppers. Seasonal decorations adorned the interior of the building, and Christmas jingles played from the open frontages of the shops. He travelled up the escalator and walked along the upper level of the Arcade, his heartbeat increasing as he approached the café where he was to meet Salim.

Suddenly he found himself standing at the entrance to the designated meeting place. He became aware that the location was ideal for counter surveillance. He could observe the upper deck of the Arcade with ease, and was sure he would soon become aware if he had been followed. He realised that he was staring apprehensively into the faces of the passing people, going about their business.

After what felt like an age, he became aware of a stocky, well-dressed Asian man in his mid-forties approaching him. The man’s coat collar was turned up, concealing the lower part of his face, and he was carrying a black, leather briefcase. The man was approaching with a purpose in his footsteps. Smiling broadly, he came to a stop just in front of Ahmed.

‘Good afternoon, Ahmed.’

‘Salim?’ was Ahmed’s nervous reply, as he held out his right hand.

Salim took Ahmed’s outstretched hand, and shook it enthusiastically.

‘Let’s take a walk.’

With that, Salim turned and started to negotiate his way through the shoppers. Back down the escalator and out of the Arcade. Back into the cold winter air. Ahmed’s nostrils were immediately assailed by the sickly sweet smell coming from a donut stand. They walked for five minutes or so in silence, eventually entering a multi-storey car park on Fleming Way, where they got into a lift which took them to the top deck. Getting out of the lift, they were once again blasted by the cold wind hitting the uncovered top level. Ahmed followed Salim across the car park, until he stopped by a parked Mercedes SUV, with tinted rear and side windows. Standing at the driver’s door, Salim turned to Ahmed,

‘Get in.’

Ahmed opened the front passenger door, pleased to get out of the cold. Salim swivelled round in the driver’s seat to face Ahmed. ‘Well. We meet at last!’

Ahmed observed that Salim spoke with a very refined, educated English accent.

‘As you have no doubt anticipated, I have your orders,’ continued Salim. ‘The operation you and your team have been chosen to undertake will be of a magnitude that will make 9/11 seem like a mere chink in the infidels’ armour. You will attack and hold the Oldbury Nuclear Power Station in Gloucestershire. The object of your attack will be to do as much damage to the facility as possible in the initial phase of the assault, and then to hold out as long as you can in order that we may gain as much worldwide publicity from the operation as possible. To this end, taking hostages would be an advantage. We must create fear in the British public and among this nation’s ruling elite, and cause severe disruption to the British economy. While it would be good if you could actually destroy the nuclear reactor, and we believe it is possible with the weaponry which you will have available to you, the primary purpose of this attack is mainly economic and political in its objectives. D Day is close now. The reconnaissance cell has been busy over the past months gathering as much intelligence as possible for us in very difficult circumstances.’

Salim’s gloved hand opened the briefcase. He removed a large brown envelope from which he took out a set of maps and diagrams. He passed the briefcase, maps and diagrams to Ahmed and continued his briefing.

‘The facility is very secure, with a chain link fence around the outer perimeter, monitored by CCTV.’

Ahmed studied the diagram as Salim spoke.

‘The more secure areas inside are surrounded by fencing and stringent access barriers. The approach to the main gate has a chicane of concrete obstructions which would, in normal circumstances, thwart any direct assault by a vehicle on the two layers of double strength, automatically controlled, steel gates. One of these gates opens to allow vehicle access, but closes before another gate opens to allow access into the establishment, forming a kind of airlock effect. The Vital Area, is further protected with additional barriers and access requirements. Motion detectors are in use. There are armed police from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) deployed at the main gate to the site, controlling access. This is also the location of the Police Control Room. They are also deployed at the entrances to the more secure inner compounds. The reconnaissance operation has been made difficult due to the remote nature of the power station and the fact that the Civil Nuclear Constabulary patrols the surrounding countryside and villages. This disrupts the operating environment for people such as ourselves. Because of the intense level of security surrounding this facility, we can only provide you with a limited amount of information. The Police, assigned to protect these facilities, are all well armed and highly trained. However, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary numbers less than a thousand officers in its ranks, spread across all the nuclear power stations and other facilities in the country. It also provides armed escorts for nuclear material in transit in Britain and for material being shipped overseas. The upshot of this is that they are thin on the ground with no more than sixty or so officers at any one location and no more than a dozen on duty at any one time. It would take an infantry battalion to secure the site! They are equipped with Tetra secure radios, body armour, all the usual police paraphernalia. In addition they carry Heckler and Koch G36 5.56mm semi-automatic assault rifles, with a range of 800 metres, capable of firing 750 rounds per minute, with each magazine holding 30 rounds. They also carry a Glock 17 9mm Pistol with a range of 50 metres. We have concluded any attempt at a covert entry to the site would be problematic. This would, in any case, be an unnecessary complication at this moment in time.’

Salim paused for a minute and then continued. ‘You will recall that a moment ago I referred to ‘’normal circumstances". These normal circumstances do not exist at this time. A new regime has been implemented at most of the existing nuclear power stations, to facilitate the construction of new reactors at these sites. Expediency has resulted in a weakening of security at entry points. This is to allow for reasonable access by the large numbers of contractors’ vehicles and personnel. The concrete chicanes on the approach roads have been removed for the duration, and the automatic gates are left open on the establishment perimeter. We, therefore, propose the use of a large, articulated truck as your assault vehicle, which will have sand bags placed around the interior of the trailer for the protection of team members deployed inside. You and your team will approach the Main Gate in line with other vehicles in the early morning traffic flow, awaiting entry to the facility. When the vehicle in front is waved through, you will accelerate the truck using the vehicle’s size to clear any obstacles that may impede your progress. As the truck goes through the gate, other team members will open fire at the police guard from slits which will have been cut in the sides and at the rear of the trailer. These slits will be concealed for the approach to the site and will be easily removable from the inside.