Century of Jihad

by John Mannion

  The call came at 9am. Ahmed answered the phone. A stranger’s voice on the line replied, ‘Greetings, my friend. This is Salim. You have been expecting my call now for some considerable time. You have, no doubt, at times thought that I had forgotten about you? We need to meet today. I will meet you at 3.30pm outside the Italian café on the upper level in the Brunel Arcade in Swindon. Presumably you know the place?’

  ‘Yes, I do,’ replied a nervous Ahmed.

  Salim asked, ‘What will you be wearing?’

  Ahmed thought for a moment. ‘I will be wearing blue jeans and a red jacket. How will I recognise you?’

  Salim replied, ‘Don’t concern yourself with that. I will find you. Stand by the entrance to the café when you get there. See you at 3.30 sharp.’

  The phone went dead. Ahmed sat in silence for a moment, then noticed the other team members staring expectantly in his direction.

  Ahmed announced, ‘OK, my brothers. That was the Regional Commander. I have been instructed to meet him this afternoon. I suggest you all return to your own places now. We will meet together again at Hussein’s, at 7.30 this evening.’

  The others got up to go. There was an air of excitement among the group, tinged with a certain nervousness, and a little frustration at being kept waiting yet again.

  After the others left, Ahmed glanced at his watch. It was 9.30am. Another six hours until he at last got to meet the mysterious Regional Commander, Salim. Who was he? What was he like? What does he look like?

  Ahmed sat on his sofa fidgeting, as these thoughts raced through his mind. He had been taken completely by surprise by the phone call; it had come out of the blue. He was unsure if his restive state was excited expectation, or nervousness. Could the meeting this afternoon have something to do with the recent news reports of increased terrorist activity in the UK? Was it time for his attack cell to be activated in the war against the ‘Little Satan’? If so, what was the target? The senior instructor at the training camp on the Pakistan/Afghan border had said he was to lead an ‘audacious operation’. Self-doubt and apprehension started to rise up. He tried to calm his inner fears by recalling the words of the senior instructor at the training camp, ‘Brother Ahmed, you have adjusted well to your new calling. You have proved to be a diligent student in all aspects of your training.’ His instructors obviously had faith in both his personal ability and in his leadership qualities. After all, had they not chosen him to lead an attack cell? Had he not already proved his leadership skills in holding together his team, during moments of tension within the group during their long wait? He wondered how his team would respond to a call to arms. How would they fare under the pressure? How would they cope as individuals, and as a cohesive unit, in the heat of an armed action? He was aware that the answer to these questions would, to a great extent, be down to his own leadership abilities.

  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.

  CHAPTER 13

  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.

  CHAPTER 14

  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 ho
lding 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.

  ‘Remember, you and your team will have the element of surprise on your side. The police will take crucial seconds to come to terms with the situation. You will kill any police who stand in your way. You will proceed as quickly as possible to the location of the reactor building, which is surrounded by a chain link fence. You will stop outside the secure compound in which the reactor building is located, as we must assume that the police at the point of entry to the reactor compound will have by then been alerted by their colleagues at the Main Gate. At this point, a member of your team will go through a hatch, which will have been created at the top of the trailer, and onto the roof which he will use as a raised firing platform. He will be armed with the RPG7, which you will have at your disposal. He will be carrying the PG-7VR charge. Remember from your training, this can penetrate steel, brick and reinforced concrete. The reactor is housed inside a structure made of concrete and steel, approximately one metre thick. This is within the range of penetration. You will fire one or two rounds at the reactor building. The RPG7 operator must ensure his missiles go over the chain link fence, as this is likely to stop them reaching their target. While this is happening, the other members of your team will have left the truck and taken up covering positions. As a result of your assault, the plant operator will have to shut down the reactor as a safety precaution, even if the damage caused by your attack is only superficial. At this point, we must assume that all available off-duty members of the CNC will have been recalled to reinforce their overwhelmed colleagues. The CNC control room will also have alerted the local Police, who will be deploying to the site. It will take time for these reinforcements to assemble, assess the situation and organise themselves. There will also be heavy political interference with their operation.’