The alarming figure raises questions about UK border controls and the capacity of the intelligence and security services to keep the country safe.
The new prime minister, Gordon Brown, has announced plans for tighter checks on people entering Britain, but they are likely to come too late to keep out many dangerous terrorists.
You may recall that Afghanistan was the center for al Qaeda terrorist training between 1996 and 2001. Since then, the focus has shifted to areas of Pakistan along the Afghan border.
The invasion by terrorists who hide among Muslims who pass as peace-loving and law-abiding seems to be working. I continue to wonder and worry about what the British and American governments will do when there is another attack, as there will surely be. Or will the British and the United States be so compromised by political correctness that they won’t do much of anything? That’s a question which must be asked and answered now.
Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.
