by David Costa
‘No problem I’ll get Matthew Simons on to it. See you at 7 am’
‘A good idea, Mister Reece, I think I’ll do the same. See you here later Jim,’ said Kurt Shimon.
Reece and Shimon travelled down in the lift to the underground car park.
‘Thank you for looking after Anna for me,’ said Shimon.
‘Don’t worry about Anna. I’m sure you know she can look after herself.’
‘Oh, I know that, but still, it’s her first time in London and she could be distracted.’ Smiled Shimon as he got into his car.
Reece waved as Shimon started the engine and drove towards the exit. I wonder, thought Reece, was he talking about the tourist attractions or a certain SAS Captain? Kurt Shimon was the type of person who does not miss much, especially when it came to his Mossad agents.
Reece never slept well when he was in the middle of an operation and tonight was no exception. Between the dark dreams and the thoughts that were running through his head, he slept lightly for no more than two hours. At six he gave up and decided a shower would at least freshen him up ready for this day and whatever it would bring.
Across the city Yasmin was doing the same. She couldn’t sleep, and a picture kept flashing through the screen in her head. It was a picture of herself playing as a child on the streets of Baghdad before all the wars and death. She got up and made herself a cup of black tea and scrolled through the photos on her phone, the ones she’d taken in Trafalgar Square and found the one she was looking for. A woman of about her age was smiling down at her daughter as she held her hand in front of one of the fountains, both laughing at the pigeons running around the feet of the people passing by. The young girl in the photo had triggered the dream of her childhood days on the streets of the Iraq capital. Carefree days when all she had to worry about was to be home in time for dinner when her father came home from work. She had always wanted to have children of her own and to meet and fall in love with the man of her dreams, but a cruel police inspector in the city of her birth had changed everything. It was no good to think of what could have been. She had taken a path to where she now sat, in a room in a foreign city, ready to complete her mission and punish the people who brought the war to her doorstep, and by their action changed her life forever.
She knelt on the floor and prayed to Allah for the strength to complete her mission to his honour and name. When she stood and opened her eyes Hassan was sitting in the chair watching her.
‘I’m sorry, did I waken you?’ she asked.
‘No, I was awake, I couldn’t sleep either. I hope you prayed for both of us.’
‘Of course.’ She lied. ‘What keeps you awake?’
‘I don’t know. Thinking about the morning I suppose. All the training all the planning now it will be real. We will kill the enemy and they may kill us.’
‘I was dreaming of my childhood in Baghdad. Before the war when you could play in the street without fear. The war changed everything and everyone. I suppose that is why I’m here. Everything changed for me I grew up from being the girl playing in the street and found that the circumstances changed to make me recognise the enemies in my life.’
Hassan stood and smiling he walked to the kitchen and switched on the kettle.
‘Would you like another cup of tea?’
‘No thanks.’
Bringing his tea back into the room he sat back down in the chair by the window. Yasmin was stretched out on the couch.
‘What time is it?’ she asked.
‘Four,’ he said looking at his watch.
‘I’m looking forward to this being over and getting back to somewhere warm. I could never live in a country this cold.’
‘I’ve lived here. You get used to it, and it’s not like this all the time, the summers are usually great, but it’s a different kind of heat to the one you’re used to.’
Yasmin stretched, yawned, and closed her eyes. Hassan could hear her breathing change as she drifted off to sleep. He finished his tea and returned to the bedroom to kneel and say his own prayer to Allah and to try to sleep for the short while he had before the day’s work would begin.
Chapter 28
Two hours later at 6.00 am. police had knocked on the door of Mohammed AAyan at his home in Finsbury, he inspected the search warrant, then accompanied them the short distance to the Mosque to find two police transit vehicles stuffed with police officers. Using his keys and switching off the alarm system he allowed them into the building under protest. Two officers stayed with him in the small office where he had met Hassan and made sure he did not use a phone. Two of the officers who continued to search the main building were in fact MI5 operators, they knew they wouldn’t find much. They were aware of the informant working inside the Mosque and that he had brought everything he could find of worth to the attention of his handlers. They also knew that the building was swept regularly for listening devices, so it was part of their remit to leave behind two listening devices one covering the main hall and the other in the office where the Imam now sat. He would be brought into the hall to be questioned by the search team leader while they completed the task. What the Imam did not know, and because he lived alone, was that at the same time this search was taking place, another MI5 team were installing the same top of the range bugging devices in his home. He might carry out a sweep looking for them when he returned home but they would be left switched off for a few days until they felt sure the sweep had been done and then they could safely be activated. The Anti-Terrorist Squad contact in the Mosque was now able to let his handlers know when a sweep looking for bugging devices was to be carried out. When that happened, the devices would again be switched off reducing the chance of them being discovered; then turned back on to record again after the sweep had been completed.
It was when the Imam was brought into the main hall under more protest, that the two MI5 men discovered the hidden panel behind the office mirror. There were a few documents which they photographed before placing them back and closing the mirrored door. It took them another thirty minutes standing on one of the chairs to remove the main light in the ceiling and install the microphone and lithium battery pack above. They did not need to drill any tell-tale holes for the microphone, as the new equipment could easily pick up the voices below through the ceiling. When they screwed the light back into the ceiling, they used the small battery powered handheld suction device to collect any dust or debris left on the chair and the floor. They left the room looking exactly as they had found it. By 8 am the operation was complete. At the same time several suspect’s houses had been raided throughout the city. Again, little was found and only one person arrested for breaking the nose of one of the search team.
As the searches were finishing Reece and the other team members had just finished their briefing. Matthew Simons had brought everyone in the room up to date with the latest information. They had the suspect’s most recent photos, text, and phone messages. Everything indicated that the terrorists were still hold up in a two-mile radius, but in a city the size of London even this held thousands of locations and people. A small jungle to hide in and get lost, a needle in a haystack situation. The only good information from the day before was the possibility that the target was somewhere in the financial district of Canary Wharf. Simons had told those in the room that the Princess Royal was to open a new office at Canada House. He also told them that Canary Wharf, where the financial district was located, was an area of six million square feet with thousands of workers, tourists, and everyday Londoners: yet another needle in a haystack. Everyone in the team knew that GCHQ would be monitoring the phones and a special team would be looking at every inch of CCTV coverage. Anything of interest would be sent out to the teams from Simons and the men in the operations room. Reece had noticed that Anna had sat beside Geoff Middleton throughout the briefing and afterwards he sat down pulling a chair around to face them.
‘I hope you both slept well last night, we are going to have a busy day,’ said Reece
noticing how Anna’s cheeks turned slightly red as she blushed.
‘We’re well rested and ready to go,’ replied Middleton answering for both.
‘My boss has agreed for me to work with the teams today. Where do you want me?’ asked Anna.
‘You can stay with me and Steve Harrison today. He has gone to check out the MP5 and other bits and pieces. Have you any idea where you will be placed today, Geoff?’
‘We have enough people to split them into two teams in two transits. One will be located near Hyde Park and the other near Canada Square in Canary Wharf. SO19 will have their own people on the ground. They will be working mostly with the Princess’s protection detail during her visit to Canada House. They have the training and firepower to take down anyone who gets too close. Our job will be as a quick reaction force to back them up and deal with any fast-moving hostage situation. I’ll be call sign Tango One at Canary Wharf and the other team at Hyde Park will be Tango Two. Both teams know what their jobs are so I hope you spot these people before we have to follow up, because if that happens, they will already be on the move with their bombs.’
‘Any word on Joe?’ asked Anna.
‘I phoned the hospital before coming here this morning. He should be getting out today but with two broken ribs he won’t be allowed out on the ground, but if I know him, he’ll make a beeline straight for here to sit in on the operation.’
Jim Broad had been speaking to Simons and now came across to speak with Reece.
‘David, can you come with me, ‘C’ wants a word before you go out on the ground.’
Both men took the lift to the director’s floor where the secretary in the outer office told them to go straight in. Sir Ian Fraser was sitting behind his desk and invited the men to take a seat. Reece was surprised to see Kurt Shimon sitting in one of the three chairs.
‘Gentlemen I hope you’re up to date with the latest information. I’ve asked you here with Kurt so that you fully understand what we need to happen today when we find these people if you get the opportunity. David, you know the reason SG9 was brought into existence, not only to track and find the people who threaten this country but if you can, and the circumstances are right, eliminate that threat. It might surprise you David that I’m saying this in front of Kurt, as your team and your remit are most secret and only a select few know of your existence. Like MI6 the Mossad make it their business to know these things and I’m sure the existence of SG9 is known to them, just as we know about the Kidon teams in Mossad who are given similar tasks. Kurt told me this morning that the Israeli government have three people who sit on what they call the X Committee, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Defence, and the head of Mossad. They meet on a regular basis to discuss intelligence reports, specifically those concerning people or organisations that are a threat to the people of Israel. When they have enough information, the X committee then issue the order for the threat to be eliminated, just as we do when we use our SG9 team to eliminate specific threats against this country.’
Reece had known from his own Special Branch days of the existence of such a special force and committee in Israel.
Kurt Shimon waited for ‘C’ to finish before adding his own thoughts to the conversation.
‘Thank you, Sir Ian. As you can see from what Sir Ian is saying the terrorists involved in this operation are also of great interest to Israel. We have been trying to find Abdullah Mohammad Safrah, known better to you as the Arab, for some time. This is the closest we’ve ever been. As you know from your own files and intelligence, it’s for that very reason that the X committee have placed him on the list for elimination. This is also the reason I’m here today, the Mossad Director of the Kidon, sitting in the office of the directors of MI6 and SG9. Both our countries and our intelligence organisations have come together, to aid each other in the important task of protecting our people, by tracking down and if possible, eliminating the enemy of both our countries. I’m glad you’ve met Anna and Palo and that they’ll be working with you today. You can be sure of their full support. I’ve briefed Anna and Palo that as we are working together on your soil, they should take their instructions from you. However, if they should find themselves on their own with the terrorists, then they should engage them and eliminate them.’
It was the turn of ‘C’ to add his voice to the conversation once more.
‘So, as you can see David, your remit is just as clear today as it was on the first day you joined SG9. You know the target, go out, find it and eliminate it.’
Reece understood that the whole conversation was to reassure him that both governments and the directors of their various intelligence agencies were together on this. They knew the task was going to be dangerous, and the kind of people Reece was dealing with. It was also their way of giving him the go-ahead to use lethal force if necessary, even if not necessary.
Reece went back to the Ops room and found that Middleton had left to join his team and Palo was with Harrison and Anna. Like Reece everyone had dressed in suitable clothing that served the dual purpose of being inconspicuous and waterproof taking care of the British weather. Anna had her hair tied in a ponytail again and as Reece had noticed before, she could dress in a bin bag and still look stunning.
‘I left your vest in the car, and both vehicles have everything we need from baseball caps to the fully loaded MP5. The radios are tuned in to the Ops network and we have the most up-to-date satnav map displays with a back-up A–Z just in case,’ said Harrison handing Reece a folder.
‘Inside you will find the most recent photos we have of our targets which might come in useful if we find them.’
‘Great, thanks Steve can you work with Palo and Anna will stay with me? I think we can leave the rifles back in the armoury. I don’t think our enemy will have big weapons and between the SAS and SO19 there’ll be plenty of those on the street. Our small arms will do for now. All we need now is a bit of luck and the rain not to be too heavy. There are other teams out there from MI5 and the police to the SAS and SO19. Everything goes through here so Matthew and the team will keep us up to date and stop us from running into each other. Everyone happy with that?’ All three nodded. Reece turned to face the men covering the communications desk.
‘Matthew?’ Reece called over to Simons. ‘That’s Alpha One and Two out to Edgware Road. Will let you know when we are there.’
Simons answered back with a thumbs up.
‘Don’t worry, David. All those little dots you see on the screen are our people. When you’re on the move the tracking device in your car will let us know where you are and that goes for the ear and radio mics as well,’ said Simons.
‘Nice to know Big Brother is alive and well,’ replied Reece.
Chapter 29
The Arab had slept well, and had breakfast in his room, then leaving the hotel he walked towards Oxford Street, as ever checking for surveillance. He had dressed for the day to blend in with the employees of the financial district of London, a three-piece grey business suit, white shirt, dark tie, smart shoes, and a dark blue overcoat. To complete his disguise, he wore thick rimmed glasses and a tweed flat cap. He had watched the news in his room and there had been no mention of a shooting which was unusual and another indication that the Security Services might know about him and his plan. The rain was staying away for the moment, but the dark clouds gave an indication that it would come later in the day. He knew because of any heavy rain there would be less people walking the same streets as him. This would make it easier for him to spot surveillance. Turning down the side streets, crossing the roads checking reflections in windows; all to help him spot someone appearing in his line of vision more than once in the same streets.
The wind was strong, and people were walking with their heads down for protection from the biting cold air. A surveillance operative would more likely have to keep their heads up to follow a target. Even the weather was in his favour, he thought, Allah is with us today. After crossing a few streets and making the custom
ary checks, he felt there was no reason to worry yet, so he flagged down a black cab and asked to be taken to Sussex Gardens. Just as before, when he was walking, he watched the traffic and noted the vehicles and motorbikes taking the same turns or keeping to the same speed. Everything had looked clear when he got out of the taxi and started walking towards Edgware Road. Near to the end of Sussex Gardens, and just before he turned right to walk down the Edgware Road, he noticed a dark BMW car in a parking bay with two men inside, even though they were talking, their eyes seemed to be focused on the street and the people walking along it. Immediately he was wary and concentrated his attention, watching the men and at the same time increasing his pace slightly so that he could turn right into Edgware Road and get lost in the larger number of pedestrians. Entering the road, he walked a few paces before crossing over to the other side and stopping to look back and then up and down the street. No one seemed to be paying him any attention and he walked further down the road before crossing directly and turning the key in the apartment door. He took the stairs two at a time and entered the living room where he found Hassan and Yasmin sitting at the kitchen table.
‘Good morning, my children how was your night?’
Before they could answer, he took off his overcoat, threw it on the couch then went to the main window overlooking the road. He watched through the net curtains standing back so as not to be observed from below, but from where he could observe. He watched for the next five minutes without there being anymore conversation. To the untrained eye everything seemed normal, but the same man and woman had passed twice in five minutes then disappeared. Neither of them had paid any attention to the building he was standing in, but at this time of morning he expected most people on the street to be workers, heading directly to their place of work and not normally retrace their steps, unless perhaps they had forgotten something. Was he being paranoid? The couple could be early morning shoppers who were just browsing the shop windows but hadn’t looked in any windows; he wasn’t sure but still he trusted his instincts. He turned to his children who were watching him closely.