MI5 hired al Qaida sympathizers?

Taking workforce diversity to heart. BBC

A senior Tory MP has asked the home secretary whether al-Qaeda sympathisers were mistakenly recruited by MI5.

Patrick Mercer, chairman of the Home Affairs counter-terror sub-committee, said sources told him six had sought to infiltrate the security service.

Four were ejected at the initial vetting stage but two got "further down the system", he told the BBC.[...]

The MP believes the security services rushed to try and take on Muslim recruits after the 7/7 bombings on London's transport network in 2007.

He told the BBC: "The trouble is when you start recruiting in a hurry... your enemies will try to take advantage of any gaps that have been created."

The former intelligence officer said three separate sources had told him of the claims, which came as no surprise to him.

He said: "Any subversive organisation worth its salt is trying to do to our intelligence agencies what we are trying to do to them, I don't think we should be surprised.

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MI5: No Single Pathway to Violent Extremism

While there may be a lot of different paths one can take that ends up in terrorism. But each pathway starts with one thing in common...the religion of peace. Guardian

MI5 has concluded that there is no easy way to identify those who become involved in terrorism in Britain, according to a classified internal research document on radicalisation seen by the Guardian.

The sophisticated analysis, based on hundreds of case studies by the security service, says there is no single pathway to violent extremism.

It concludes that it is not possible to draw up a typical profile of the "British terrorist" as most are "demographically unremarkable" and simply reflect the communities in which they live.

Which communities might those be?....

The main findings include:

The majority are British nationals and the remainder, with a few exceptions, are here legally.

Around half were born in the UK, with others migrating here later in life. Some of these fled traumatic experiences and oppressive regimes and claimed UK asylum, but more came to Britain to study or for family or economic reasons and became radicalised many years after arriving.

Radicalised by whom?"

Far from being religious zealots, a large number of those involved in terrorism do not practise their faith regularly. Many lack religious literacy and could actually be regarded as religious novices.

Very few have been brought up in strongly religious households, and there is a higher than average proportion of converts. Some are involved in drug-taking, drinking alcohol and visiting prostitutes.

How could it be that converts are getting the wrong idea about a nonspecified religion by wanting to commit acts of terrorism? Is it possible that a Christian or Hindu novice might get the idea to blow themselves and many others up?British-based terrorists are as ethnically diverse as the UK Muslim population, with individuals from Pakistani, Middle Eastern and Caucasian backgrounds.

MI5 says assumptions cannot be made about suspects based on skin colour, ethnic heritage or nationality.

Hmmmmm...

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