The Police respond .........

Willid1

Willid1

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David Williams
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Just seen this on the BBC website

Police release film of suspects' 'terror targets'

Perhaps seeing as this "terrorist" was using a mobile phone they will now be stopping people seen using them, as well as people using SLR's, and that terrorist must have - a tripod.

David
 
'A suspected al-Qaeda gang was caught after a man was spotted filming potential targets on a mobile phone, police have said.

Police believe the Algerian gang was planning to target train stations in London and shopping centres across England and Wales.

Five men were arrested last year after one man was caught filming and acting suspiciously at Liverpool Street.

The footage was released to explain why police may stop people who are filming.

City of London Police, who led the investigation, said the filming was an example of "hostile reconnaissance".

It released footage recorded on one man's mobile phone as he travelled around London.

Jailed

It showed the man examining Oxford Circus, Mornington Crescent and Camden Town Tube stations. He had filmed underground maps and lifts, CCTV cameras, entrances and exits of stations.

Extensive footage was also recorded at Liverpool Street railway station and at the Broadgate Circle shopping and restaurant plaza.

Police discovered the gang also visited shopping centres in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Bluewater in Kent, and Bridgend, south Wales.

Two men were subsequently convicted of a huge mobile phone and luxury goods fraud racket and deported after serving prison sentences.

The police said the CPS had decided there was sufficient evidence to bring terrorism charges, but it was not in the public interest because they would have received the same sentence as for fraud.

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Anyone think this is a bit desperate. And what's more in the public interest - a conviction for fraud, or terrorism>
 
I'm stunningly impressed he spent time and effort filming maps freely available from the TFL website - go figure
 
hmmm...sounds like BS to me - I'm sure if they had enough evidence to convict them on Terrorism charges they'd have pushed for it, believe me...
 
Looks like the police have just justified themselves to the population of great britain most of who are not photographers and now will have no sympathy for photographers... If it stops just one bombing then power to the police is what they will say..

Sneaky beggers them police tha knows:)

Police 1 v 0 Photographers :(
 
Noticed the the men were only caught last year, then served their sentence and were then deported, makes a mockery of the police statement that they would have served the same sentence for terroism.

Its cold today so i suppose we could expect a snow job.
 
this is just going to increase paranoia in the masses - and make life harder for photographers :(
 
Arkady said:
hmmm...sounds like BS to me - I'm sure if they had enough evidence to convict them on Terrorism charges they'd have pushed for it, believe me...
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Absolutely.

It smacks of someone saying 'Find me footage of someone with a phone doing something bad'.

You might as well saying they're stopping people wearing jeans, such is the proliferation of mobile phone cameras.
 
swanseamale47 said:
So their terrorist was in fact a fraudster.
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How do you think they fund terrorism. You can't get a loan from the bank, although you can ask your local Saudi royal for a few million I suppose. Back in the bad old days the IRA robbed banks, extorted monie from businesses and inported diesel from the south as well as cattle rustling(but that was for Euro farming quota fraud). Sneaky oh yes but deadly nontheless.

A new terror funding is the bulk purchasing of PAYG mobiles, selling the sims and phone seperately abroad amongst other things.

This recent incident was a means to an end, like al capone going to jail for tax avoidance, as no doubt other agencies will have been involved in this invstigation and as our justice system looke suspiciously on all things covert, the CPS will have picked the best line of prosecution. well done to them for a change:thumbs:
 
awp said:
this is just going to increase paranoia in the masses - and make life harder for photographers :(
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I was night shift on Saturday night as got called to a 'male breaking into car' . Rushed down there hoping that my dog was going to bite some scum bag only to find a tog, with DSLR(a cannon so nearly bit him anyway:D) attached to tripod fiddling with filters and setting up taking some photos of a 'street scene' with some very nice cars in the street as FG interest. Now what would you do.......................................?
 
hiddybiddy said:
I was night shift on Saturday night as got called to a 'male breaking into car' . Rushed down there hoping that my dog was going to bite some scum bag only to find a tog, with DSLR(a cannon so nearly bit him anyway:D) attached to tripod fiddling with filters and setting up taking some photos of a 'street scene' with some very nice cars in the street as FG interest. Now what would you do.......................................?
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kick the dog ?
 
hiddybiddy said:
A new terror funding is the bulk purchasing of PAYG mobiles, selling the sims and phone seperately abroad amongst other things.
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Had better stop selling those phones then, its clearly how Bin Laden makes his money- well, when he's not selling photos of London landmarks to postcard companies that is.

This whole story smells of excrement to be honest and proves nothing other than the amount of man hours spent on this is mental. It reminds me of a KGB operation which after hundreds of man years managed to track down a person who sent a damning letter to Kruchev... it took 25 years to find the perp who was 8 years old at the time, but they got their man :bat:

He didn't BTW get charged with "fraud" :rules:
 
desantnik said:
Had better stop selling those phones then, its clearly how Bin Laden makes his money- well, when he's not selling photos of London landmarks to :D
This whole story smells of excrement to be honest and proves nothing other than the amount of man hours spent on this is mental. It reminds me of a KGB operation which after hundreds of man years managed to track down a person who sent a damning letter to Kruchev... it took 25 years to find the perp who was 8 years old at the time, but they got their man :bat:

He didn't BTW get charged with "fraud" :rules:
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They also are(were) the most successful of all espionage agencies for infiltration and coersion, nobodies perfect and you can't please all of the people all of the time. Just exactly 'what smells' when a bunch of terrorists have been caught and expelled (apart from the expelled bit:D)
 
Whilst I understand that terrorism has to be funded, this sentence says it all....

The police said the CPS had decided there was sufficient evidence to bring terrorism charges, but it was not in the public interest because they would have received the same sentence as for fraud.

I agree with what has already been said, if they truly had enough evidence to convict on terrorism charges, they would have done, without a doubt. That would be far better PR than releasing this footage/story after the event to try and justify the 'over enthusiastic' approach of some of their officers recently.
 
Radiohead said:
It smacks of someone saying 'Find me footage of someone with a phone doing something bad'.
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Precisely.

I was waiting for something like this to materialise after the recent 'memo' that was issued to police.
 
To my mind they (the police) have missed the point. If you are going to take photographs for terrorist purposes then you will do it coverly/semi coverltly, as this press release shows. Not with an SLR that will attract attention. In London even if you are not stopped by the police you will almost certainly be on CCTV.
 
Surely this just backs up photographers claims that the terrorists are not taking photos with hulking great SLR's on tripods?
 
I think what this now does is blow things up even more...now everyone using a mobile phone will also get harassed, at least it means us DSLR owners won't be the only ones feeling victimised :shrug::bonk:

Simon
 
Contrary to City of London briefing, CPS say Algerians not prosecuted for terrorism because there was "insufficient evidence". Interesting.
 
If the "they" have now been deported then why was his face blanked out and the innocent passerby was not?:thinking::suspect:
 
Whilst I would say "insufficient evidence" means "not guilty" others will no doubt say "got off on a technicality", (un?)fortunately that is how "justice" works - no evidence, not guilty.
 
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