One of These Things Is Not Like the Others
One of these things just doesn’t belong:
The Times called this photo “creviceheads” and then a serial number. What on earth could that mean.
Five members of a British al-Qaeda cell were jailed for life today for plotting to use fertiliser bombs to blow up the Bluewater shopping centre, the Ministry of Sound nightclub and other targets across the UK including gas and electricity supplies.
Life. That’s, what, 20 years?
The ringleader of a plot that would have claimed hundreds of lives, Omar Khyam, was told that he would have to spend at least 20 years in jail -
Ah.
- but all five men were warned that they may never be released.
You know, “life” usually means “will never be released,” not, ordinarily, “may never be released.”
With the verdict, however, comes fresh revelations about the full extent of MI5’s knowledge about the July 7 suicide bombers. It can now be disclosed that Khyam met Mohammed Siddique Khan, the leader of the 7/7 plotters, at least four times in England while under MI5 surveillance but the link between them was never properly followed up.
The 20 years=life thing notwithstanding, that’s what I love about the British justice system. When trials are over, all these facts come out, and you get the feeling they weren’t published before because they weren’t allowed, but were actually chomping at the bit to, rather than that they just didn’t care. Like here.
Those convicted on the conspiracy charge were Khyam, 25, Waheed Mahmood, 35, and Jawad Akbar, 23 - all from Crawley, West Sussex - as well as Salahuddin Amin, 32, of Luton, Bedfordshire and Antony Garcia, 25, of Barkingside, east London.
For a bunch of twenty-somethings, they’d get out in time to be Tom Cruise’s age. Or Brad Pitt’s. Hardly the end of their “life”.
Update:
Um:
Telegraph - Fertiliser bombers jailed for at least 95 years
The leader of a British al Qa’eda cell has been jailed for at least 20 years for plotting a bombing campaign to rival the September 11 terror attacks.
Um…
April 30th, 2007 at 8:46 am
ninme as usual puts her finger on the most painful aspect of sentencing policy. Wonder whether al-Q will mount a kidnepping or two to try and effect a prisoner release? Used to work for Arafat’s lot.
April 30th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
At least none of them pulled a Tom Delay for the mug shot. That would have been disturbing.
May 1st, 2007 at 5:01 am
“what I love about the British justice system. When trials are over, all these facts come out, and you get the feeling they weren’t published before because they weren’t allowed, but were actually chomping at the bit to, rather than that they just didn’t care. Like here.”
But of course, we know this is just rubbish because, errr…. , there is a witch hunt, and errr…., everyone is demonising all muslims just for being muslim and, err….., the Crusades! Chimpy McBush Hitler! (cont p94).
May 1st, 2007 at 7:46 am
Hehe
Okay, then I love that your press is in on the conspiracy (see pp 1-94), no matter the efforts of your justice system.