Britain counts cost of ignoring Libyan extremists – The Australian Financial Review
Police in Manchester as the investigation continues.
Salman Abedi was 16 when he first visited Libya, the country his parents had fled in 1993 to escape persecution under Muammer Gaddafi. But this was no ordinary coming-of-age trip for Abedi. Once there, he reunited with his father, who had left his family in Manchester three years earlier to aid the revolution against Gaddafi. And, according to friends of the family, members of the Libyan community in Manchester and sources in Libya, Abedi had come to fight.
He was not alone. It was 2011, and dozens of other Mancunians were already there. Mustafa Graf, the imam of the Didsbury mosque, the centre of the Libyan community in south Manchester, had also travelled back to Libya to help topple Gaddafi. Manchester became a fundraising centre for their war effort. Preachers travelled between the two countries, encouraging the fight, invariably couching it in terms of jihad.
This week, the 22-year-old Abedi detonated a rucksack filled with tricyclic acetone peroxide, bolts and nails, murdering 22 others and maiming dozens more, many of them children and young adults, in the worst terror attack to strike the UK since the 7/7 London bombings 12 years earlier. The attack on the Manchester Arena cast a spotlight on the city and its community of Libyan exiles, dozens of whom have gone to fight in Libya in recent years with Islamist militias.
Throughout the years of Gaddafi rule in Libya, Manchester was a magnet for Libyan exiles like the Abedis. The city's Libyan community, one of the largest outside Libya, is tightly knit. "Everyone knows everyone," says one Libyan living in the city.
Britain's intelligence agencies knew the community well, too, and had longstanding dealings with its Islamist contingent. But the attack raises serious questions over their assessment of it. MI5, the UK's domestic intelligence agency, facilitated the travel of many Islamist Mancunians back to Libya.
Until recently, the UK's spymasters have not seen the community as a particular threat. Libyan Islamists in Manchester, many believed, were too focused on waging a national jihad in their homeland to be a threat to the UK. Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war and the spate of attacks in France, Belgium and Germany, anti-terror work in the UK and Europe has focused on young returnees from Syria.
Security officials have repeatedly sketched out the dangerous dynamics the Syrian crisis has unleashed: a cohort of young Britons who will be brutalised by the conflict, skilled in the trade and tools of war, connected to transnational networks of fellow fighters by powerful bonds of kinship and shared suffering.
It is a prognosis that holds true for the civil war in Libya. The story of Salman Abedi is one of a parallel, overlooked jihad to that in Syria.
"These are fundamentally questions of identity. What are the local grievances that would lead someone to blow up a load of young people at a concert with nails and bolts? Manchester isn't the city that made those grievances fester and grow," says Richard Barrett, former director of global counter terrorism operations at MI6. "It's the ability of groups like ISIS to wrap up your individual and local anxieties and grievances into this overall huge picture to make you a somebody."
Throughout Abedi's childhood in Manchester, Libya was ever-present. The vast majority of Libyans in the city are well integrated, but some cliques remain staunchly nationalist, still affected by the brutal treatment at the hands of Gaddafi's regime that prompted many families to flee. Islamist views the cause of that persecution often shade into such nationalism.
Ramadan Abedi, Salman's father, was a member of the Libyan nationalist-Islamist nexus in Manchester. By some accounts, he was a senior member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, the liberation movement that was the core of anti-Gaddafi Salafism. His sons grew up with tales of the injustices inflicted on devout Muslims in Libya.
When Salman was 13, his father returned to Libya as part of a deal brokered between the Gaddafi regime then keen to rehabilitate itself on the global stage and migr Islamists. It was an uneasy rapprochement, and one in which the UK's intelligence agencies were deeply involved, as they sought to mine information from both sides to advance the war on terror.
Three years later, in 2011, the uneasy settlement in Libya had broken apart in the wake of the Arab uprisings, and the country was at war. It was then that Salman and his father were reunited.
The reunion took place against a backdrop of mounting western concern over Libya. As Gaddafi's repression grew bloodier, Britain and France led a push for military intervention. The UK's military role in the Nato-led coalition that ousted the regime is well documented. Less well covered is the degree to which it facilitated the movement of anti-Gaddafi Islamists from Britain. Dozens of migrs who had fled Gaddafi for Manchester returned to fight him.
In Libya, many connected with Islamist militias, the most capable anti-Gaddafi forces, and swelled their ranks.
Bilal Bettammer, a Libyan student and social activist in the revolution, now a lawyer in Canada, recalls the influx.
"I'd say of the more hardline groups, 60 or 70 per cent of their fighters in the beginning were from abroad. In 2011 we noticed a big influence from Manchester. There were lots of them in Derna. There were Libyan families here cashing British welfare cheques. Those went a long way in dinar."
Mr Bettammer recalls watching a British preacher in Libya. "We have to choose sharia and reject secularism, he was saying. He was from Manchester, talking about stories of his life there. About the need to convert people. It was all the usual rhetoric but, in Libya, it had a violent meaning."
Mr Bettammer says he and other secularist campaigners tried to warn the British ambassador to Libya at the time about the number of Britons and their radical views but were rebuffed. The UK, he says, wanted to encourage them instead because it viewed the Islamist groups as a more viable anti-Gaddafi alternative to native secularists.
Libyans dubbed the ranks of British Islamists "double shafras" - shafra is the Arabic word for a SIM card. It is a telling metaphor for the degree to which the fighters easily straddled two worlds. Back in Manchester, the phenomenon was well known in the Libyan community. "I think everyone knows someone who went," a local housewife says.
But within the Libyan foreign fighter movement another divide would emerge, as younger fighters became more radicalised.
Akram Ramadan, a Libyan who lives upstairs from one of the flats in Manchester's Whalley Range neighbourhood that was raided in the wake of the attack, says a "lack of family control" led many of the younger Mancunian fighters towards violent anti-western jihadism. Mr Ramadan fought against Gaddafi in the revolution and saw its effects on the sons of Manchester's Libyan fighters.
"They're not accepted in any society this society or that society over there," Mr Ramadan says. "Here, they look foreign. There, they sound foreign. There's no acceptance of them or appreciation for what they did.
"It happened to a lot of kids. They hung about together and played football together. Some of them went into drugs. Some of them got their heads down and went into study. Some were easy picking for the terrorists."
Even before Abedi's atrocity, there was evidence of the problem.
Last year, Abdelraouf Abdallah, who had fought in Libya, was jailed for terrorism offences. Police said he had become one of IS' most prolific recruiters in the UK. He was well known to the Abedi family. After a bullet in his spine left him wheelchair-bound in 2012, Abedi's brother Ramadan spent time at Abdallah's bedside in Tripoli.
It is still far from clear when or how Salman Abedi fell in with IS or even if he did. IS has claimed him as a member, but the group's messaging has been uncharacteristically confused.
UK security officials are treading carefully. The connections between the Abedis and Islamist networks in Libya are firmly established, says one western diplomat based in Tripoli. But the interactions between those networks and IS is still unclear.
In some ways, the distinctions as to which group a terrorist like Abedi took directions from are artificial, says Raffaello Pantucci, international director at the think-tank RUSI. "Before you may have had these specific networks, but really the key point now is that, certainly in the UK context, it's all the same pool of people the same radical community that these extremist groups' attack planners go fishing in."
Homegrown terrorists like Abedi, Mr Pantucci says, are less likely to make doctrinaire distinctions about the groups they are affiliated with than the senior figures in those groups directing them. "These kids go to a war zone populated by Islamists, then they come back to the UK, they know bombs, they know how to make bullets," says Mr Bettammer, the former activist. "[Salman Abedi] was in Libya fighting other Muslims. What do you think he's going to do when he's back in the UK?"
Read the original:
Britain counts cost of ignoring Libyan extremists - The Australian Financial Review
- Libya's reconstruction of Derna: 'A windfall for the Haftar clan' - Le Monde - September 21st, 2024 [September 21st, 2024]
- Court convicts former ambassadors, health officials, and cultural attachs at Libyan mission in Ukraine - Libya Herald - September 21st, 2024 [September 21st, 2024]
- Libyan European Transport Forum takes place in Tunis from 19 to 20 September - Libya Herald - September 21st, 2024 [September 21st, 2024]
- Sudan Situation: Sudanese Refugees and Asylum-Seekers in Libya - As of 15 Sep 2024 - ReliefWeb - September 21st, 2024 [September 21st, 2024]
- Egypt follows deadly overturning incident of vehicle carrying Egyptians in Libya - Egypt Today - September 21st, 2024 [September 21st, 2024]
- From Russia to Libya: Israel Has Adopted the Appalling Practice of Drafting Asylum Seekers - Haaretz - September 16th, 2024 [September 16th, 2024]
- With reconstruction in mind, can Turkey-Egypt thaw offer lifeline for Libya? - Al-Monitor - September 16th, 2024 [September 16th, 2024]
- FIFA Futsal World Cup: Libya emerge victorious, Angola stumble in opening ties. - CAFOnline.com - September 16th, 2024 [September 16th, 2024]
- Libya's central bank chaos must serve as a wake-up call for the West - Euronews - September 14th, 2024 [September 14th, 2024]
- One year since flooding devastated Libya - WBUR News - September 14th, 2024 [September 14th, 2024]
- Civil society should work together to be the drivers of change and overcome the divide in Libya, says USG DiCarlo [EN/AR] - ReliefWeb - September 14th, 2024 [September 14th, 2024]
- EU EXTERNAL PARTNERS: Frontex Denies Involvement in Pushbacks and Defends 400 Million Expansion Tender Thousands Pushed Back to Niger from Algeria... - September 14th, 2024 [September 14th, 2024]
- One-Year Commemoration of the Eastern Libya Floods - UNICEF - September 14th, 2024 [September 14th, 2024]
- Internal Shadows: The Unseen Plights of Libya's IDPs - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - September 14th, 2024 [September 14th, 2024]
- Focus - Libya: One year after deadly floods, reconstruction in full swing in Derna - FRANCE 24 English - September 12th, 2024 [September 12th, 2024]
- Libya's Derna floods: Mourning a year later the loss of mums, dads and kids - BBC.com - September 12th, 2024 [September 12th, 2024]
- Turkey interested in Libya's offer of offshore exploration, says energy minister - Reuters - September 12th, 2024 [September 12th, 2024]
- A year on, Libya flood survivors grieve for their dead - Reuters - September 12th, 2024 [September 12th, 2024]
- Libya, EIA forecasts oil production of 600.000 barrels in the remaining months of 2024 - Agenzia Nova - September 12th, 2024 [September 12th, 2024]
- UNICEF Fact sheet: One - Year commemoration of the Eastern Libya floods [EN/AR] - ReliefWeb - September 12th, 2024 [September 12th, 2024]
- Goals and summary of the Benin 2-1 Libya in the Qualifiers CAF - VAVEL.com - September 12th, 2024 [September 12th, 2024]
- Libya is a step further towards adapting to climate change: GIZ - Libya Herald - September 12th, 2024 [September 12th, 2024]
- In Libya's Derna, Haftar using reconstruction to boost popularity one year after floods - Middle East Eye - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Top U.S. General Meets With Alleged War Criminal in Libya - The Intercept - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Libya: Internal Security Agency must be held accountable for deaths in custody, enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention - Amnesty... - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- UNICE Fact sheet: One - Year commemoration of the Eastern Libya floods [EN/AR] - ReliefWeb - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Eastern Libya signs MoU to construct its section of the Egypt Libya - Chad Transit Road Project - Libya Herald - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Libya factions agree to appoint central bank governor in bid to ease crisis - Reuters.com - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Never mind the BRICS, focus on Libya - Duvar English - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Libya Construction Expo 2024 will be held from 28 to 31 October at Tripoli International Fairgrounds - Libya Herald - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- AmCham Libya supporting high-level Libyan delegation to WEFTEC 2024 5 to 9 October, New Orleans, Louisiana - Libya Herald - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Libya at the brink of an imminent power crisis due to shortage of fuel - The North Africa Post - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Benin vs Libya Prediction and Betting Tips | 10th September 2024 - Sportskeeda - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Egyptian food exports to Libya amounted to US$ 183 million up to July an increase of 18 percent - Libya Herald - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Turkey Blocks Libya Arms Inspection For 12th Time, Raising Concerns About Commitment To Embargo - GreekCityTimes.com - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Africa News Tonight: China-Africa summit winds down, UN tries to end dispute over Libya central bank, Malawi aims to boost road safety - VOA Africa - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Notorious human trafficker sanctioned by the UN killed in Western Libya - The Jerusalem Post - September 10th, 2024 [September 10th, 2024]
- Libya central bank governor, other bankers flee to avoid militias, FT says - Reuters - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Expert predicts revolution in Libya, fears crisis far worse than 2011 - The Jerusalem Post - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Libya: UN report urges accountability for years of human rights violations in Tarhuna - OHCHR - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Africa File, August 29, 2024: North African Competition in the Sahel; Libya on the Edge; Burkina Faso is Spiraling - Institute for the Study of War - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- 'Crumbling': Libya's warring factions dig in for fight over oil profits - Middle East Eye - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Oil Drops in Technical Correction From Rally on Libya Disruption - Yahoo Finance - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Libya upheaval: Why Turkey is mum over heightened tensions in Tripoli - Al-Monitor - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Libya: The President of the Senate asks to shed light on the death of Bija - Agenzia Nova - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Libya : Ousted central bank governor flees with the keys - Africa Intelligence - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- U.S. calls for steps to maintain the credibility of the CBL - Libya Herald - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- U.S. crude oil rebounds nearly 2% on major supply disruption in Libya and Iraq output cut - CNBC - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Libya: Italian cuisine protagonist of the Mena Agro Food Expo 2024 in Benghazi - Agenzia Nova - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- Is there an end in sight for the Libya oil crisis? - The National - September 2nd, 2024 [September 2nd, 2024]
- All of Libya Held Hostage by Gunmen Targeting the Central Bank - The Washington Institute - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- Sophie Kemkhadze joins as the new Resident Representative in Libya - United Nations Development Programme - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- EU official targets Trkiye over growing influence in Africa, Libya - Trkiye Today - August 25th, 2024 [August 25th, 2024]
- Libya's instability will worsen further without a unified government and elections, UN envoy says - The Associated Press - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- Will turmoil in Libya spill over into the region? - Al Jazeera English - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- Libya: Behind abduction and failed central bank coup in Tripoli - Al-Monitor - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- UN officials warn of further instability in Libya without elections soon - The Jerusalem Post - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- Production at Libya's Sharara oilfield rises to 85,000 bpd to supply refinery, sources say - Reuters - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- Small volumes of gas flowing to Italy from Libya - MEED - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- Libya: the Brega oil company distributes fuel to citizens affected by floods in the south - Agenzia Nova - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- Libyan Industry Union organises workshop on Libyan Industrial Exports - Reality and Prospects - Libya Herald - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- Conflict Is Brewing in Libya Once Again - OilPrice.com - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- Libya's Almadar Aljadid, Vox Solutions ink SMS and voice gateway deal - Connecting Africa - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- UN warns of rapidly deteriorating situation in Libya - Morning Star Online - August 22nd, 2024 [August 22nd, 2024]
- Arbitrary detentions and impunity widespread in Libya, warns UNs Trk - Welcome to the United Nations - July 10th, 2024 [July 10th, 2024]
- Mass Graves of Migrants in Libya: An End to a Dream for a Better Life in Europe - Asharq Al-awsat - English - July 10th, 2024 [July 10th, 2024]
- Marshal Haftar Meets with Greek Ambassador to Strengthen Bilateral Relations - Libya Update - July 10th, 2024 [July 10th, 2024]
- Morocco And The UN: Paving The Path To Peace In Libya OpEd - Eurasia Review - July 10th, 2024 [July 10th, 2024]
- Libya and Russia discuss reactivating the construction of the railway project - Libya Herald - July 10th, 2024 [July 10th, 2024]
- UN probing reported mass grave on Libya-Tunisia border - Yahoo! Voices - July 10th, 2024 [July 10th, 2024]
- NDA Partners with Turkish Firm TGG to Construct Modern Tower Complex in Benghazi - Libya Update - July 10th, 2024 [July 10th, 2024]
- Efforts to increase trade between Indonesia and Libya - Libya Herald - July 10th, 2024 [July 10th, 2024]
- EU says ready to support Libya's efforts to achieve peace and transitional justice - The Libya Observer - July 10th, 2024 [July 10th, 2024]
- AmCham Libya hosts meetings during recent visit of U.S. Embassy Commercial and Economic Officer David Morrison - Libya Herald - July 8th, 2024 [July 8th, 2024]
- Spanish doctors visit Libya in their 12th campaign 500 surgeries would have been performed since 2022 - Libya Herald - July 8th, 2024 [July 8th, 2024]
- Libyan olive oil wins gold and silver in U.S. olive oil competition - Libya Herald - July 8th, 2024 [July 8th, 2024]
- As fighting rages in Sudan, refugee aid efforts expand to two new countries - ReliefWeb - July 8th, 2024 [July 8th, 2024]
- Libya's special envoy resigned. What's next for the country? - Atlantic Council - May 27th, 2024 [May 27th, 2024]
- Comment: The IVECO-TbCo impasse was resolved by hard work and determination to continue a business relationship ... - Libya Herald - May 27th, 2024 [May 27th, 2024]
- Two Libyan olive oil brands win gold at Athens International Olive Oil Competition 2024 - Libya Herald - May 27th, 2024 [May 27th, 2024]