Pakistan’s terrorist group, Lashkar-e–Toiba (“LeT“), is as dangerous a threat to Britain and the United States as Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaida, according Bruce Riedel, former top-ranking CIA officer, reported Sunday Telegraph (of England) and The Times of India.
Mr. Riedel, who served three US Presidents as a Middle East expert on the White House National Security Council, said not only LeT, the British Pakistani community is recognized as al-Qaida’s best mechanism for launching an attack on America.
“In the aftermath of the Mumbai attack, the US and the UK intelligence services now have to regard Lashkar-e-Toiba as just as serious a threat both of our countries as al-Qaida. They have a much more extensive base among Pakistani diaspora communities in the UK than al-Qaida” Bruce Riedel said to the Sunday Telegraph.
The Times of India reported last week that, in a bid to prevent a Mumbai-like mayhem on American soil, the CIA is said to have launched a massive spying operation in Britain and it has recruited a number of informants in the Pakistani community for this purpose (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/rssarticleshow/msid-4095131,prtpage-1.cms).
Mr. Riedel was reported as saying “Around 40 per cent of CIA activity on homeland threats is now in the UK. This is quite unprecedented”. This may be why, according to Sunday telegraph, the CIA believes that a British extremist of Pakistani origin entering the US is the most likely source of a terror attack on America.
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Pakistan’s LeT – As Dangerous to USA As Al-Qaida, Per CIA
