Beheading plot thwarted

The week's news at a glance.

Birmingham

Police said they foiled a terrorist plot this week when they arrested eight men in a dawn raid. British media, quoting unnamed sources, said the eight were planning to kidnap, torture, and behead a British Muslim soldier who had served in Afghanistan, and then post a video of the killing on the Internet. All eight alleged terrorists were picked up in Birmingham, a city with a large Muslim population. “It certainly seems to confirm Britain is particularly vulnerable to al Qaida-style attacks because of the historic links to Pakistan and the Pakistani community here,” said British terrorism expert Shane Brighton. The 330 Muslims serving in the British armed forces are often described as traitors on jihadist Web sites. The first one who died in Afghanistan is depicted in one video as burning in hell.

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