by Tom Marcus
‘That’s a RIGHT RIGHT and westbound on the Alpha four zero zero six.’
I knew that to keep his cover and prevent the cousins inside the Ford Mondeo from seeing us, Ryan would have to do some manoeuvring. As he pulled on the brakes hard, using another car turning right to hide behind, a manoeuvre we all used from time to time, I could feel his arms lock out against the handle bars to brace against the momentum I was carrying into him. Keeping his voice low, he spoke on the team radio but with a message directly for me.
‘Mate, if they stop and get out I’ll dive down a side street and drop you off and try and get ahead to house the vehicle driver. Tap me to acknowledge.’
Tapping his stomach hard with my fingers, I was praying the cousins would stop soon so I could get off this thing.
‘No change, continuing westbound towards the tube station and the roundabout.’
‘Team Leader, roger your last Bravo Two. We’re still trying to get with.’
‘All stations that’s a STOP STOP STOP, near-side just before the roundabout outside the station, DEEP BLUE and GREEN GARDEN are OUT OUT and on foot.’
Ryan pulled the clutch of the bike to let the engine revs die right down as he leaned it quickly into a side street to avoid being seen or heard by the cousins. Jumping off, I handed my helmet to him and pulled my hood up, walking back towards the main road we’d just turned off. I couldn’t see the car or the targets and I was praying they weren’t walking straight towards me.
‘Zero Six on foot, checking.’
The traffic was still streaming down on the main road, the station dangerously close. If I didn’t get control of them quickly, it was likely they’d disappear onto another tube. Rounding the corner, I managed to catch a glimpse of the vehicle driving off onto the roundabout.
‘Bravo Two, for information, vehicle westbound at the roundabout, EXIT TWO, EXIT TWO.’
‘Roger.’
I could just about hear Ryan’s bike on a parallel street moving round to try and follow the vehicle to an address. With these cousins so switched on, we needed to build up the intelligence picture around them, and quick.
‘Stations, Zero Six has control of DEEP BLUE and GREEN GARDEN walking westbound towards the roundabout on the north side. If they go into the station can anyone go with?’
I couldn’t go onto the tube with them again, it would be operational suicide. Where the fuck was the rest of the team?
‘Charlie Eight One is coming into the area and can deploy if needed.’
‘Negative Charlie Eight One, I need you for imagery. Stations, anyone else ready for a foot move?’ Graeme said.
The team leader was pissed, it had taken a while for some of the team to wake up and get with it this morning. First looks are generally quite slow, but the behaviour of these two was showing us we had to be on top of our game immediately.
‘You have Four Seven on foot to the north and can go into the station if needed.’
‘Roger that, Four Seven, thanks. Both targets now ten metres, one zero metres, from the station entrance, wait one.’
Quickening my pace, I tried to close the monstrous gap between me and the cousins. Every time a high-sided vehicle or bus went past I lost visual of them.
‘Targets continuing WESTBOUND, WESTBOUND,’ I said. ‘Now past the station. Four Seven, can you ping them through the junction for me at the roundabout while I move up?’
‘Yes yes. I have control, waiting to cross over the roundabout, will give indication on direction when they move.’
‘Charlie One Two is with this and ready for imagery too.’
‘Eight Nine is on foot.’
‘Bravo Two, vehicle housed and address passed to Base.’
‘Roger, thank you. Stations, I want to grip these two now, nice and tight.’
The fact that the targets had not gone into the tube station had given us the vital few seconds we needed to get on top of our game again. Everyone wanted a piece of the follow now. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and a cold chill cascade over me. The team was finally all here, backing each other up.
‘From Four Seven, both now walking across the road, continuing westbound, wait one for street name.’
‘You’re west on Alexandra Road, next junction is Morpeth Drive. That will be on your right-hand side.’
Vehicle call signs were helping foot crews out perfectly now, using their maps to help us identify compass directions, key points, street names. Now it was starting to come together, it felt like we were unstoppable.
‘HOLD BACK HOLD BACK. Stations recip recip, back towards the roundabout.’
When targets start looking behind them and changing direction quickly, or turning back on their route, we call that doing a reciprocal, or ‘recip’, and it’s a clear sign of trying to evade surveillance teams. Luckily the team had found its feet in time to be ready for this sort of behaviour.
‘Charlie Nine Four can?’
‘All yours.’
‘Charlie Nine Four has control, Both DEEP BLUE and GREEN GARDEN now northbound.’
‘Stations, any chance of imagery of this?’
‘Charlie Nine Four, video is rolling. Got it all. Any foot crew close in case they go into the shop?’
‘Four Seven is inside the shop.’
‘Roger that, and that’s both targets IN IN to the shop on the west side towards you Four Seven, out of sight to me.’
I could see the shop front right on the corner of the roundabout. There was little intelligence to be gained inside – it didn’t sell any hardware or mobile phones, or have a post office or currency exchange desk. I waited nearby to support Sharon – Four Seven – while she had control of them inside.
‘All stations, make sure you’re ready for a quick move away from here either on foot or vehicle please, all directions to be covered.’
The team leader was anxious to keep hold of the cousins. Everything we’d seen so far suggested they were in the latter stages of attack planning, we just had no clue what they were about to do or when.
I could hear Sharon whispering into her radio just as I caught sight of both targets. ‘OUT OUT, not with.’
‘Zero Six has control, both walking into the car park on the north side of this shop. DEEP BLUE is giving some instructions to GREEN GARDEN near the wall and now taking a picture of GREEN GARDEN on his phone.’
‘Base roger. Thank you.’
Using a furniture shop for cover, I pretended the overpriced faded leather chair in the window was everything I needed while murmuring into my mic once more.
‘From Zero Six, Team Leader, Base – I think this is a recce. DEEP BLUE is moving around GREEN GARDEN and it looks like he’s recording film on his phone rather than taking pictures now. It’s the TA barracks. Both targets now moving towards the bus stop on the west side, DEEP BLUE is holding his phone unnaturally down by his side, walking past the main gates of the barracks.’
‘I need imagery of this, stations.’
‘Charlie Nine Four has video and I completely agree with Zero Six, this is a recce!’
The fuckers are taking video footage and pictures, I thought. This could be one of their targets. The Territorial Army is made up of volunteers and wouldn’t have a massive amount of people in the barracks most of the time – there’s a reason the TA are nicknamed ‘weekend warriors’. That said, it’s an easy, soft target for them to hit even when the camp does have part-time troops in place. They wouldn’t be as well protected as a normal military base, with battle-hardened troops permanently stationed there.
‘Roger. Thank you. Zero Six, back to you.’
‘Both targets sat at the bus stop on the north side. I can’t go with if they get on a bus but I can give them on. Both targets now look like they are taking selfies with their phones from different angles. The barracks is directly behind them.’
‘Roger, thanks. Good work, Zero Six. Can I have a fresh foot crew please, ready to deploy on the bus with them if they decide to bo
ard one.’
Everyone now wanted in on the action. The team felt like a pack of hyenas – we could smell the blood of intelligence and we all wanted a taste. The team leader barely had time to finish his transmission before Aman, Omar and Susan all dived out of their cars and got onto the net to say they were coming close in, ready for a bus move.
‘Stations from Zero Six, be aware, if a high-sided vehicle pulls up I will be blocked, so if someone can get into position to give them on then that would be helpful.’
‘Five Nine can and go with.’
‘Great, thanks mate.’
Omar had a great profile. He was mixed race and, because we’d been on Muslim extremists constantly for the past four months, he’d grown his beard out and was wearing a dark grey shalwar kameez – everything you wouldn’t expect someone from MI5 to look like.
As a crowd of school children, ushered by their teachers, slowly walked past me, I saw a bus turning off the roundabout towards the stop where the cousins were still taking pictures of the barracks behind them, identifying the cameras located around the front of the camp. DEEP BLUE had spotted the bus and signalled to his cousin that this was theirs.
‘Mate, bus approaching, bus approaching,’ I said.
‘Five Nine. Have seen and moving towards the stop now ready to go with.’
‘Team Leader, roger that. All vehicle call signs ready to pick up those left on foot ready to go with this.’
‘From Five Nine, bus has stopped, both targets are now ON ON, VRN is Mike Echo one four Sierra Victor Foxtrot, it’s a number sixteen, ONE SIX.’
Unable to talk freely anymore, Omar gave the covert radio signal to the team that he had control of both the cousins on the bus. Without the team leader prompting anyone, the vehicle crews swung into action.
‘Charlie Two Six has control, number sixteen double-decker bus with a toothpaste advert on the back is now northbound in slow-moving traffic. I’m three for cover.’
Knowing how many vehicles are between the car in control and the target vehicle helps everyone assess the risk that control might be lost. If you’re eight vehicles back, you’ve only got control by a thread. And giving the other vehicle crews a visual lock on, like the advert on the back of the bus, was standard practice for us. It was always really helpful, as most wouldn’t be able to see the bus number from their positions but could easily see the large smiling man brushing his teeth.
‘Charlie Two Six, Team Leader permission?’
‘Go ahead Team Leader, no change.’
‘Base acknowledge this?’
‘Base acknowledged, and for information, Five Nine has sent a text message through to say the cousins are both speaking in broken Arabic, flicking through pages of the Quran.’
‘Roger that, thank you. Charlie Two Six, back to you.’
‘Sorry, Base permission?’
‘Wait one, Base. Bus has pulled over for a stop on the west side, wait out.’
I was still near the shop when I spotted Ken driving one of our team cars. He cautiously pulled into the car park to pick me up. I got in, thinking we’d need to create a ‘father taking his son out for a drive’ type of profile. Ken was the oldest member of the team, and being 900 years old, no one on the streets ever imagined he could be any type of surveillance officer, which was perfect. He wasn’t the quickest of drivers but somehow he’d always stay up with the follow, especially in London. He used to work as a London cabby, and clearly had never forgotten his ‘knowledge’ test. Today was no exception.
‘Stand by signal heard from Five Nine, and have seen, that’s DEEP BLUE and GREEN GARDEN now OFF OFF the bus and walking directly towards the park area, walking south, page sixty-two of your map books.’
‘Ken, drop me off here, mate. I’ll go into the park from the south end. Have you got a football in the boot?’
‘Of course.’ He seemed surprised I’d even asked.
‘Roger that, anyone keep control of this?’
‘Six Two on foot. I’ve got control, both walking slowly into the park now.’
‘Nine Eight is backing.’
‘One Four is supporting to the west.’
‘Charlie Three Three has imagery going.’
‘Seven Two is supporting to the east.’
‘Zero Six has the south of the park.’
‘Excellent work, stations. Six Two, all yours.’
This looked like a classic anti-surveillance move here, trying to draw us through busy areas, onto different modes of transport, straight into wide-open spaces with little cover. It makes it easier to spot if anyone is one your trail. Luckily our team was all over this and the team leader had very little to do.
‘From Six Two, both walking south on the eastern path of the park. They seem to be purposely trying to use the cover of the trees. Stations, be aware they are extremely vigilant, looking at everyone around them.’
‘From Team Leader, give them loads of room here.’
‘Charlie Three Three, can control this if you like? I have video too.’
‘Six Two, great, thanks mate, and backing.’
It was clear the cousins were extremely paranoid, again another massive indicator that they were a fair way along in their attack planning.
‘From Charlie Three Three, both DEEP BLUE and GREEN GARDEN now at the fork of the eastern path and taking a right right and west through the park. For information, this is in the middle of park.’
As I kicked the ball around, trying to flick it up off the grass, I could see the cousins about 150 metres away. There were other people in this park – dog walkers, runners, couples with push chairs, even a homeless guy – and that helped our cover. If these two were studying everyone in the park they would have a lot to remember. Turning away from them, I decided I needed to try and blend in a bit more. It looked like I was waiting for my mates to turn up for a kick about, but it would be better if I managed to integrate myself with a group of teenagers nearby, who were passing a ball around aimlessly.
‘Zero Six, be advised that’s DEEP BLUE and GREEN GARDEN now taking the left path at the end on the west side of the park and walking south towards your position, one hundred metres away. They could be doing figure of eights around the park.’
I had to act quickly. The cousins were too aware for my liking and if the team left things down to chance we’d fuck this job up before we’d managed to find out what was going on. Purposely mis-kicking my ball towards the teenagers, I ran over and, as they flicked the ball back to me, I volleyed it straight back over to them. Thankfully they were a bit bored and didn’t seem to think I was too much of a weirdo when I asked to join their game till my mates arrived. I threw myself into it with a fake smile – I hated football, but these five teenagers were my new assets and I needed them to play their role perfectly, without them knowing it.
Just as we were getting into the swing of it, I heard Charlie Three Three come back on the net giving me a countdown.
‘Zero Six for information they are two zero metres from your position now, still extremely alert although no interest in you so far.’
I had to engineer a bit more cover as they walked past and thankfully one of my new assets used too much force when he kicked the ball over to me, allowing me to miss it completely and let it fly past my head away from the path. Turning round to jog after the ball, I now had my back towards the cousins as they drew adjacent to my fellow footballers.
Labouring my jog as if I was too tired to run properly I gave the cousins as much time as possible to get past the group of teenagers before I had to return.
Bending down to pick the ball up, I got a quick upside down view of the cousins walking past the group, showing no interest at all. Returning with the ball, I could see the cousins were now away from me, continuing their loop around the park. I needed to break away from this small group so I didn’t overstay my welcome. Faking a phone call, I made my excuses and moved to the south-west corner of the park.
We’d been on this follow for s
ome time now but everyone was still sharp. All of us had the ability to keep going for many hours without getting mental fatigue, losing focus or getting distracted. With a job like ours, there was no choice.
‘Team Leader from Charlie Three Three, both targets extremely paranoid but I don’t think there is any intelligence to be gained by having people on foot inside the park now. Continuing north on the east side back towards the middle of the park.’
‘Roger that, Charlie Three Three. Quick question, have you got uninterrupted video of these two?’
‘Yes.’
‘Great work, all foot crews withdraw out of the park and into a vehicle call sign please. Stay close in to react.’
‘Base permission?’
The transmissions on the radio were absolutely constant now.
‘Go ahead,’ Charlie Three Three said. ‘Targets continuing north on the eastern path of the park.’
‘Thank you. Team Leader and stations, background checks on the cousins have shown they are likely to be dealing drugs as a way of financing themselves. Intelligence from G Branch is suggesting they might be using a makeshift mosque in Edgware. Can we take on any new contacts, please?’
As the team leader acknowledged the new tasking, to follow anyone these cousins made contact with, the transmissions were handed back to Charlie Three Three, who now had both of them heading towards the top corner of the park again.
Almost out of the park, I had to try and find someone in the team to come and pick me up, but I could hear the updates from Charlie Three Three speeding up.
‘Both targets in the area of the exit to the park and the main, stations be aware that they aren’t acting normally here, it looks like they are about to run, lots of looking around them.’
‘Team Leader, roger.’
No one else acknowledged – we knew if we all started to reply it would make it impossible for Charlie Three Three to give us a warning that the cousins were trying to escape whatever was making them paranoid.
‘STATIONS! That’s DEEP BLUE and GREEN GARDEN now sprinting SOUTH SOUTH down the park, I need someone to take control if they make it out of the park.’