Backlash after Muslim shot during police raid

As a result, they are facing a growing Muslim backlash, after days of searching failed to turn up the slightest trace of a poison bomb which, according to several reports, is what they were looking for. More than 250 officers were involved in the operation during which 23-year-old Abdul Kahar Kalam, a member of the household, was shot in the chest.

The raid was launched after a secret service (MI5) informant described a device which could quickly fill a room or an underground train carriage with deadly gas and said that such a device was in the house. But up to a few days ago, one security source confessed: “The most dangerous thing we have found is aspirin.”

The secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain, Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, regarded as the leader of Britain’s moderate Muslims, has warned that the operation is threatening relations with the police. He said: “The danger is that the trust between the community and the police may be broken. Already, the community feels quite vulnerable.”

Visiting the scene of the raid, in which both the wounded Kahar and his younger brother, Koyair, were arrested, Dr Bari called on the police to clarify the situation as soon as possible. He said: “Days of frustration, confusion and anger in the community is not good.”

He added: “People want to know what exactly happened and whether the intelligence that led to the raid was genuine. There are lots of issues in the community about the police operation. If the intelligence is flawed, there are enormous difficulties for all of us.”

Dr Ghayas Siddiqui, another Muslim leader, said: “If Kahar is innocent, it will be a terrible blow for the police and MI5. We still have no idea what evidence the police had to go into this house and almost kill a man. Muslims are embarrassed and ashamed that again they have been linked to extremists.”

But Assistant police commissioner Andy Hayman said: “It is very important that I emphasise the police did receive specific intelligence. We were left with no choice but to act upon that intelligence. Public safety was our top priority.” He then admitted: “We have not found what we went in there to look for.”

Kahar, a British-born Muslim, was wounded in the chest in the shooting, which itself is surrounded by controversy. One source said he was shot by his brother during a scuffle with armed police, while another claimed that Koyair was several steps behind his brother when the shot rang out.

Kahar was moved from hospital after doctors said he was fit enough to be questioned. He was taken to top-security Paddington Green police station in central London where Koyair was already being held. Before he was transferred, he told Kate Roxborough, his lawyer, that police were wasting their time.

She said: “He says the police are going to find nothing because there is nothing to find in the house.” She also said claims that he was shot by his brother during a scuffle with police were “absolute nonsense” and added that he was shot in the chest without warning.

Miss Roxborough said Kahar was “absolutely horrified and completely bewildered about how the police have come to this. He had no involvement in this whatsoever.” Julian Young, representing Koyair, said he is angry that this has happened to him. He added: “He denies the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. It is contrary to all his beliefs.”

At the heart of the raid is a small terrace house, a single family home that connects with an adjacent property. Its occupants form one family — mother and father, two sons and two daughters. This is the family that Scotland Yard needed 250 officers to subdue.

In fairness to the police, it must be said that anti-terrorism work differs from normal police activities in that it is largely concerned with preventing major incidents. It is more like who might do what, rather than who did it. It is trying to prove an intention. This is difficult and mistakes will be made. But this is more reason for police to be more careful than usual.

The massive early-morning raid in East London was carried out because police expected to find poisonous chemical or biological agents and means of using them as weapons. But the exercise was a curious mixture of precaution and “anything goes.” Anti-terrorism police wore protective suits. Some carried gas masks. Even an air exclusion zone was established. Yet, although police believed that an explosive device able to spread poison over a wide area might be found, there was no evacuation.

Prime Minister Tony Blair involved himself in the incident when he said that he backed the police and the security services 101 percent. He added: “You can only imagine if they failed to take action and something terrible happened, what an outcry there will be then. They are in an impossible situation.”

For their part, senior Scotland Yard officers, keenly aware of the potential for a major backlash, have been careful to praise the patience shown by neighbours while the search of the premises continues. They have also briefed leaders of the three main mosques in the area, explaining why they think the raid was necessary.

But none of this has stopped radical preacher Anjem Choudary from claiming that Britain’s Muslim community is “under siege.” He said: “Mosques have been raided. Muslims have been targeted in the streets. There is one law for Muslims and another for non-Muslims.” When the backlash comes, you could be sure that people like Mr Choudary will be the ones behind it.