On the night of January 12th 1971 two bombs exploded outside the London home of Robert Carr. Carr was Edward Heath’s employment minister and the man responsible for the hated Industrial Relations bill which had passed into law earlier that day. Persons Unknown, Stuart Christie, 1980
The Angry Brigade itself first emerged in the summer of 1970 in the run-up to the election of the Conservative government of Edward Heath, and its activities continued for 18 months … Targets included the embassies of oppressive regimes, high profile police stations and army barracks, sweatshop boutiques and factories, as well as government buildings, the homes of cabinet ministers, the Attorney General and the commissioner of the Metropolitan police were also targeted. ibid.
This is the weapon Silke Mayer Witt took with her during the whole time she was a terrorist: it’s a 45 automatic weapon taking seven bullets. States of Terror: Betrayal, BBC 1993
For nearly 15 years Silke Maier Witt was one of Germany’s most wanted and dangerous terrorists. The group to which she belonged – the Red Army Faction – paralyzed West Germany, assassinated its leaders and shook the state to its foundations. ibid.
1972 West Germany: There was a shoot-out and siege; the terrorists were known as the Baader Meinhof gang. Already they had murdered five people and injured fifty-four. The group was named after two of its leaders … Their aim: to destroy capitalism. ibid.
This is the story of how the world’s most powerful man [Ronald Reagan] declared war on terrorism in the Lebanon, fought it with words and lost. States of Terror: Men of God, BBC 1993
Lebanon: One image still haunts America: the ruins of its embassy shattered by a suicide-bomber. ibid.
Sorrow and anger were to cloud his judgment as the tragedy unfolded … humiliated in the Lebanon by a handful of fanatics driving trucks. ibid.
These are new terrorists training in Northern Ireland, a new generation of extremists. Violent Republicans have not gone away. And an old friend on the run still wants to help them: Colonel Gaddafi still wants to help them in their fight. Having supported the IRA for decades, his weapons turn them into a major fighting force. Exposure s1e1: Gaddafi & The IRA, ITV 2011
Over the course of 30 years the Libyan dictator has supported the IRA: he donated money, arms and Sextex explosive to help fuel a war in Ireland and Britain. ibid.
As the conflict intensified the need for more explosives grew. ibid.
Britain [Harold Wilson] offered £14 million to Gaddafi as part of a trade package on condition he renounce the IRA; Gaddafi had wanted £52 million so he rejected the offer. ibid.
Gaddafi appealed to the United Nations to intervene against what he saw as Britain’s inhumane conduct. ibid.
To the IRA it was like winning the lottery. ibid.
They [French customs] unloaded 2 tons of Semtex; 2,000 electric detonators; 1,000 AK-47 assault rifles; 120 RPG-7 rocket propelled grenades; 20 SAM-7 surface to air missiles; 10 DHK heavy machine guns; 600 grenades; 1,000 mortars; 4,700 fuses; 1,000,000 rounds of ammunition. ibid.
I have drawn the inescapable conclusion that you can’t participate in something like that [drone strike] without being corrupted. Homegrown: The Counter-Terror Dilemma, operator, Sky Atlantic 2018
Why is it that ten years after, more than a decade after 9/11, American citizens are signing up for an Al-Qaeda group? ibid. analyst
Muslims are easy targets right now. ibid. lawyer
It’s like if you established an Islamic society all the problems in the world will go away. ibid. Muslim
Terrorism has a minuscule, a near-Zero impact. ibid. analyst
In the spring and summer of 2017 Britain was hit by an unprecedented wave of terror attacks. Westminster, Manchester, London Bridge and Finsbury Park. This film follows the effects across the nation … Many were left to cope with trauma and loss, whilst communities reacted to hatred with resilience and solidarity. Four Days that Shook Britain, ITV 2018
Accelerating to nearly 80 mph the attacker purposely drove into the crowds. After crashing into the railings outside parliament the lone attacker then ran towards the gates of Westminster Palace armed with two knives. ibid.
Day Two: Manchester 22 May 2017: ‘Suddenly everything was yellow and I was on the floor and I couldn’t see properly.’ ibid.
Day Three: London Bridge 3 June 2017: Having crashed a van into pedestrians on London Bridge, three attackers armed with knives began stabbing people at random. ibid.
Day Four: Finsbury Park 19 June 2017: ‘There was a sense that something is coming.’ ibid.
Worldwide, an average of 30 terrorist incidents occur every day. Many of these acts are captured on video as they happen. Breaking History: New Age of Terror I, History 2018
The threat no-one saw coming has become a reality, a new norm where violence strikes closer than ever. And fear is a weapon. In the face of terror a coalition fights back. Across nearly every continent and the darkest corners of the web. Deep into the War on Terror the world stands at a crossroads as a new wave of leaders inherit the reins of an expanding global crisis … Are we locked in a battle without end? ibid.
Since 9/11 the US has been locked in a War on Terror with no end in sight … Nearly $5 trillion has been spent to combat the terrorists. ibid.
Tens of millions of surveillance cameras, barricades in front of office buildings, and new law enforcement teams. ibid.
Al Qaeda cells flourished in Yemen, Libya, Syria, Pakistan, and in Afghanistan the Taliban was tightening its grip. ibid.
As Isis tightened control it amassed a fortune … Isis emerged from the fractured chaos of the Middle East and quickly conquered a swathe of territory across northern Syria becoming the first terror group in modern history to create its own nation. ibid.
A church in Normandy, an outdoor market in Berlin, the streets of London: the list was elevated … The terror threat was truly global. ibid.
Boston police and the FBI combed through 120,000 photographs and almost 13,000 video clips … These terrorists were home-grown. Breaking History: New Age of Terror II
The terrorists were home-grown radicals inspired by jihad and acting alone. ibid.
In this conflict ideology is a weapon played on a new kind of battlefield – the internet. ibid.
We are at war and the battle-lines have been redrawn. Terrorism can strike anywhere. And everyone is a target. Science is peering into the dark heart of terror networks to find out why terrorists embrace unspeakable atrocities. Are they so different from us? Morgan Freeman’s Through the Wormhole s7s7: What Makes a Terrorist? Science 2016
You can’t participate in something like that [assassination] without being corrupted. Homegrown: The Counter-Terror Dilemma, operative #1, Sky Atlantic 2018
Why is it that ten years – more than a decade after 9/11 – American citizens are signing up for an Al Qaeda group or ideology. ibid. expert
We are blamed for a problem we didn’t create. ibid. Muslim woman
In 2005 the FBI established a national security branch. The mission was to transform the FBI into a domestic intelligence agency. ibid. caption
You almost want to pick up the phone and say, ‘Son, don’t do this.’ ibid. operative #1
I Am Proud To Be A Traitor To America. ibid. Samir Khan, online article
Gladio: This is the story of the secret armies funded by the United States, trained by Britain, and left behind in post-war Europe to fight the rise of communism. This is also the story of how they turned against their own people. Nato’s Secret Armies, Military Channel 2009
Milan 12th December 1969 a bomb exploded … 17 people were killed and 80 seriously wounded … Munich 26th September 1980: killed 13 people and injured over 200 … Brussels 9th November 1985: a gang of men opened fire … ‘8 killed and 8 injured’ … One of a staggering 16 similar attacks carried out between 1982 and ’85 that came to be known as the Brabant massacres. ibid.
Over a period of about 15 years Europe was rocked by a series of terror attacks; the lives of thousands of people were turned upside down. ibid.
Documents that connected this mysterious force to Nato … The secret organisation Gladio existed … part of a much wider network of secret stay-behind armies coordinated by Nato throughout Western Europe during the Cold War. ibid.
Gladio: Western Europe possessed each a particular branch but to these cells are discovered suspicions of terrorist activities, of fascist ideology. Retour aux Sources: Gladio, RTBF 2014
During the Cold War thousands of sleeping agents were ready to enter into action in case the Red Army would have occupied Western Europe. ibid.
Belgium too has known in the ’80s a wave of terror through a series of heists of extreme violence that caused 28 deaths between 1983 to 1985. ibid.
Stay behind networks are independent but interconnected … They are in radio contact. ibid.