Britain and US Security At Odds?

[Annie]

http://www.rogerlsimon.com/mt-archives/2005/07/debkafileas_pri.php

July 22, 2005:

DebkaFile's private intelligence weekly has an interesting report on a split between the US and UK intelligence apparatus regarding recent events:

The two terrorist attacks on London have put a strain on the intelligence relations between the United States and Britain. The differences between America's tough treatment of terrorist suspects and British lenience are usually explained on the grounds of greater British tolerance for radical asylum-seekers, be they political or religious. DEBKA-Net-Weekly's intelligence sources maintain that
the differences are methodological. The two British secret services charged with combating al Qaeda hold to the view that opening the door to Muslim radicals from all over the world to take up residence in the UK's big cities is the most efficient method for getting their agents inside terrorist groups like al Qaeda. The American services, for their part, say -

A. Britain cannot show a single successful penetration of al Qaeda in lieu of its generous ingathering of extremists over many years - witness the two bombing attacks of London - any more than have the Americans.

B. The US intelligence community holds that the close interrelation between British undercover agencies and Muslim extremists has been harmful; it has given al Qaeda's agents easy access to Britain and exposure to a considerable body of intelligence data - not only the workings of the British agencies, but also through them of American methods of operation. At the G8 summit, in Scotland, which was interrupted by the July 7 London bombings, American officials privately rebuked the British for exposing twenty world leaders to unreasonable security risks.​

Apologies to Debka for quoting from their subscription only material, but, although I am not sure of its validity, I thought this material was worth promulgating. Debka also reports that (since 7/7) the US is unilaterally freezing assets of London-based Islamic groups close to Bin Laden and Zarkawi. (ht: Rick Scot)