Al Qaeda planning to attack UK in major resurgence after fall of ISIS

An attack on the UK by the jihadi group made infamous by the 9/11 attack on New York’s Twin Towers in 2001 is “highly likely”, a terrorism threat report by Pool Re, Britain’s terrorism reinsurer, has found.

Al Qaeda was believed to be on the “verge of strategic collapse” five years ago after founder Osama bin Laden and lead radicaliser Anwar al-Awlaki were killed, like reported by express.co.uk .

However, its supporters have been utilising the Western allies’ fight on ISIS in the Middle East to grow in the Arabian Peninsula during the Yemen conflict, in the Islamist Maghreb, which includes beleaguered Mali, and also in North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the report says.

Advances on Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria this week have led to the US-led allies strongly believing ISIS is close to being defeated in the region, which Al Qaeda will use to its advantage, the report found.

The upgrading of Britain’s threat level in 2014 from substantial to “severe” – which means an attack by Islamist terrorists is “highly likely” – was driven by ISIS as well as Al Qaeda’s Arabian Peninsula branch’s capability “to attack civil aviation using non-metal content bombs”, the report adds.

Terror lord Bin Laden’s young son, Hamza bin Laden, has also been a leading force in Al Qaeda’s resurgence alongside the group’s global leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Pool Re researchers found.

His involvement has led to moving away from the traditional religious rhetoric to using the internet to “appeal to a younger generation of extremists” – something they have learnt from ISIS, the report adds.

The authors said: “While al-Zawahiri maintains an Emir’s strategic perspective in his messages, Hamza bin Laden’s are geographically and conceptually wide ranging.

“This is a likely indication of this desire to be globally recognised in preparation for a future leadership role, following on from his late father.”

Instead of the “spectacular” attacks of Al Qaeda past, such as the London 7/7 tube bombings, the Madrid bombings and 9/11, the group’s Inspire magazine indicates a move towards attack methods which are more synonymous with ISIS.

They still involve “crowded places with associated mass casualties” but on a smaller scale using knives and vehicles in the UK or firearms and vehicles in the rest of Europe like the ISIS attack on a Berlin Christmas market in December, the report says.

The report quoted Bruce Hoffman, securities studies professor at Georgetown University, talking about Al Qaeda’s resilience in 2011, just months after Bin Laden’s death at the hands of Navy SEALS in Pakistan.

He said: “Al Qaeda’s obituary has been written countless times over the decade.

“Each iteration has proved to be ephemeral, as the movement has continually shown itself to have a deeper bench than we imagine.”

His words ring true today, according to the report, which highlights how the threat of Al Qaeda was met by military action by the West which reduced its capabilities.

They look at how “that pattern is currently applicable to ISIS” and concluded: “While ISIS remains the focus of military and intelligence agency effort, this overshadowing affords Al Qaeda the opportunity to expand.

“Furthermore, it is possible Al Qaeda stands to gain the support of Islamist extremists disillusioned by the brutal tactics of Daesh.

“In summary, Al Qaeda has demonstrated its ability to endure and evolve and is continuing to expand.”