Exeter Bombing Update: Blast suspect was 'radicalised'

Exeter Bombing Update: Blast suspect was 'radicalised'

news.bbc.co.uk

A man arrested after an explosion at an Exeter restaurant has "a history of mental illness" and was a recent convert to Islam, police have said.

(visit the link for the full news article)

It appears that the UK suffered an isolated incident of Islamic domestic terrorism today.

Rest assured, his ineptitude in explosives making is cause for great joy. A crowded restaurant could well have led to a lot of innocent victims.

A cell in guantanamo surely awaits this man.

news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

I think the bigger point here is the terrorists are using the mentally unbalanced, or mentally challenged to carry out there terror.
My only hope is that this will turn people against them, but doubt that will happen.

reply to post by RedGolem


Ah well thats debateable.

Did Islamists seek out this man because he was mentally unstable?

Or did this man seek out Islamic fundamentalism because he was unstable?

Originally posted by 44soulslayer
reply to post by RedGolem

 

Ah well thats debateable.

Did Islamists seek out this man because he was mentally unstable?

Or did this man seek out Islamic fundamentalism because he was unstable?

Or thirdly..

Did the unstable man feel fed up with his lot and look for religion, only to meet other unstable types who themselves were fed up with their lot and went looking for religion, who in turn were turned to radicalism by other unstable types from other countries and alien cultures?

In other words, I think it's fair to say that almost anyone engaged in terrorism is unstable to a point anyway, so using this mans apparent "instability" as a shield for him or as a weapon against further radicalism is a dead end, to be honest.

In my mind, anyone who engages in the willful killing of civilians to achieve a goal is an unstable bastard.

I can understand they have grievances, but I reject their methods. Now, if they actually stood up and went toe-to-toe with the Military and/or police, I'd happlily let them.

Should I ever be in a position were violent resistance was necessary, I would never target innocents, but would happily engage the military in battle, even if defeat was a certainty.

That is a much better way of achiveing Martyrdom than slaughtering women and children in a crowded restaurant, and I would bet that your cause would receive a much better response.

I'd rather die a hero than a coward.

reply to post by 44soulslayer


I know this man and I think you should blame those that messed with his already poorly mind and understand than a mind is very fragile and easily corrupted thing. Lets hope he gets the help he needs.

The keep saying a history of 'mental illness'... Does anyone know any more about that? I mean that could be any number of things from depression right through to raving homicidal maniac, or even just being a 'bit slow'.

reply to post by stumason


I wholeheartedly agree.

However what you must understand is the mindset of Islamic radicalism.

I reccommend a documentary made by channel 4 called "Dispatches- Undercover Mosque". It will shock you to the core...

The kinds of beliefs that these people have entail having disregard for innocents. According to them those who "sin" are not innocent and apparently become military targets! Nutcases of the highest order in my opinion.

The fact that the blast only burnt his face and injured an eye shows the lack of resources of the radicalists. Anyone know the type of device used?

Preying on the weak minded and infirm is an obvious indication to the true Islamic world that these people are wrong. As they intensify their attacks, I believe they will end up fighting two fronts: The Western World and the peaceful true Muslims who follow the faith and the Quoran and not the crazy blabbings of some extremist cleric. Even the cleric probably doesn't know what he's doing it for, he has been recruited too.

The manipulation of people is used daily on all levels from advertising to terrorism, its easy and it gets results.

If God exists, they are going to be gutted when they die.

Never mind.

Originally posted by 44soulslayer
A cell in guantanamo surely awaits this man.

I hope not. I really do. If the UK has to send people to an illegal black hole prison camp in occupied territory instead of processing the person through our own legal system then the country my grandparents fought for in WW2 is lost, and I want no part of it.

reply to post by neformore


Agreed - it's a strange case we have here - the police have repeatedly stated that he is mentally ill and was radicalised.

If it's the case that other people used him for their own ends, and he had no conception of what he was doing, then he deserves help and support rather than being locked up in a prison where torture is commonplace.

Personally, I'd rather they catch those who radicalised him, and lock them up in wakefield or somewhere similar.

I get a bit fed up with those who fail to see the bigger picture.

As a civilized country we have a duty to help and care for the vulnerable members of society - and that must also mean protecting them when others seek to use them for their own ends.

I'm sure that the extent of the mans mental illness will become apparent in due course - but for me, the most telling image was of him sat down, and officers and paramedics speaking to him.

If he was any danger at all, he would have been on the ground and in cuffs, regardless of his injuries - so the officers did NOT see him as a threat.

Pete's sake tone down the sensationalism here.

Just because this guy's a recent convert to Islam does not equate to Islamic Radical/Al-Qaeda operative.

Yeah you guys aren't jumping the gun here.
Who knows what purpose he was doing this for? Religious, Political or just plain DEMENTED, since he's mentally ill..

Which seems to be most likely conclusion given a suspect with a long history of mental illness. These kinds of things have happened before.

But no, in typical fashion, when a bomb goes off these days everyone jumps on the Islamophobia bandwagon and brands this guy a terrorist.


Where exactly does it state any evidence in the article he was a Radical Muslim?

"We believe, despite his weak and vulnerable illness, he was preyed upon, radicalised and taken advantage of."

Yeah just like how you believed a Brazilian tourist was a potential terrorist and national security risk...?

Pffft.. is this standard charge for anyone that blows something up these days?

[edit on 23/5/08 by The Godfather of Conspira]

I don't think anyone found guilty in a British court has been sent to Guantanamo have they? I believe the July 21st group are sitting in Her Majesty's prison, and the ones found guilty of planning attacks at Bluewater etc.

If this guy is crazy then he'll probably end up on a psychiatric ward somewhere.

Originally posted by The Godfather of Conspira
But no, in typical fashion, when a bomb goes off these days everyone jumps on the Islamophobia bandwagon and brands this guy a terrorist.

He IS a terrorist though, he tried to blow up a restaurant. The IRA weren't Islamic but they were sure as hell terrorists. I don't care who they are, or where they're from, or what they believe in, if they want to blow people up then they ARE terrorists.

But you could well be right that religion has nothing to do with this man, and he is just a sad soul who didn't get enough help along the way. Time will tell

Originally posted by neformore

Originally posted by 44soulslayer
A cell in guantanamo surely awaits this man.

I hope not. I really do. If the UK has to send people to an illegal black hole prison camp in occupied territory instead of processing the person through our own legal system then the country my grandparents fought for in WW2 is lost, and I want no part of it.

I didnt say that I agreed with it, I was just stating the most likely course of action.


However I must say to Godfather of Conspiracy:

This man attempted to blow up a crowded restaurant and was a convert to Islam. By definition alone that makes him an islamic terrorist... there is no debate about that. He may have been mentally unstable- which may be taken into mitigation, but he most certainly was a threat to the public.

Originally posted by Muppetus Galacticus
I don't think anyone found guilty in a British court has been sent to Guantanamo have they? I believe the July 21st group are sitting in Her Majesty's prison, and the ones found guilty of planning attacks at Bluewater etc.

If this guy is crazy then he'll probably end up on a psychiatric ward somewhere.

Actually thats a good point. Im not sure why I thought he would be sent to guantanamo...

I stand corrected.

I've been called crazy by some. Would I ever, no matter which religion I converted to, blow up persons....NO.