March 5,
2008: Britain's MI-5 (domestic
intelligence service) has expanded its operations in the neighboring Irish
Republic, after increased al Qaeda, and Islamic radical, activity was detected. Three Afghan men were
recently arrested, in a room full of bomb making materials. There are dozens of
similar suspects under surveillance. For the last three decades, Ireland and
Britain have cooperated on domestic security issues, initially because of a
mutual need to keep an eye on the IRA (Irish Republican Army) terrorists. The
IRA has devolved into a criminal gang, but al Qaeda, and other Islamic radical
groups have found Ireland a convenient place to hide out and plan their next
atrocity. The Irish economy has been booming for the last decade, and suffering
an ongoing labor shortage. If Islamic radicals can slip into the country, they
can find work, and cover in the many immigrant neighborhoods. MI-5 has used its
more extensive databases and capabilities to help the Irish counter-terrorism
police identify potential terrorist cells.
There have
been no Islamic terrorist attacks in Ireland yet, but the latest arrests
indicate that it's only a matter of time.
