Be Afraid ...Very Afraid

The BBC reports that Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair claims the UK is facing an unparalleled and growing threat of a terrorist attack..the country faced a "level of unparalleled threat"... He added: "I think the threat of another terrorist attempt is ever-present.

This following on from The Home Secretary , John Reid , claiming that an attempted terrorist attack in Britain in the run-up to Christmas is "highly likely" "The threat in this country is very high indeed..."

YET

Commissioner Ian Blair adds : There was "no specific intelligence" about an imminent attack ..
"We have no specific intelligence ...it's a possibility."


So , be afraid ...very afraid ... Thats our Xmas cheer from the London Met .

Mind 'ow you go , as Dixon of Dock Green would say .

And here we have who we were all assured was that master-mind of a previous bomb-plot

Mr Rauf's detention in Pakistan triggered arrests in the United Kingdom of a number of suspects allegedly plotting to blow up transatlantic flights. The August arrests led to increased airport security around the world, causing major disruption. Passengers on many flights were forbidden to take liquids aboard aircraft. The Pakistani authorities described Rashid Rauf as a key figure.

YET

Last week an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi found no evidence that he had been involved in terrorist activities or that he belonged to a terrorist organisation. The case of Mr Rauf, a Briton of Pakistani origin, was downgraded from an anti-terrorism court to a regular court. His lawyer says police evidence amounts only to bottles of hydrogen peroxide found in his possession.

The BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad says the judge's decision has reinforced the already widespread scepticism there about the airliner plot .
Several commentators said the threat was deliberately exaggerated to bolster the anti-terror credentials of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and that it helped to demonise British Muslims of Pakistani origin.

Ex-Ambassador to the Central Asian Republic of Uzbekistan , Craig Murray , blogs extra details

Nor do we forget about the Forest Gate fiasco . Mohammed Abdul Kahar, 23, was shot and he and his brother were arrested. Both were later released without charge. The final bill for the operation was £2,211,600, according to Metropolitan Police figures.

Adam Curtis citing the Home Office's own statistics for arrests and convictions of suspected terrorists since September 11 2001. Of the 664 people detained up to the end of last month, only 17 have been found guilty. Of these, the majority were Irish Republicans, Sikh militants or members of other groups with no connection to Islamist terrorism. Nobody has been convicted who is a proven member of al-Qaida.

Have the authorities never heard of the fable of the boy who cried wolf once too often ? ( Or the boy who shouted Fire ? )

Who does it suit to have us all living a life of fear ?