CCTV units mounted in Muslim areas of London

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GLOBAL JIHAD: Britain fights back -- with cameras
Publishing Date: 17.04.07 07:24

By Gordon Thomas

LONDON -- MI5 has launched CCTV cameras to track terrorists on the streets of London and other cities in Britain where al-Qaida suspects are known to operate. The cameras are based on the latest satellite technology. Costing $10,000 each and known as "The Bug," the cameras each have a ring of eight powerful lenses which can provide a panoramic view of a street, a sports arena or the new Olympic stadium being built for the 2012 London Games. Each will have its quota of cameras. Software in the system can also indicate up to 50 behavior traits to identify a person "as a potential terrorist." Within a year they will be able to signify "facial movements indicating tension and other furtive behaviour," confirmed an MI5 officer. The Bug can pinpoint "individual groups loitering or acting in a suspicious manner," he added. The moment a target is identified, a ninth lens mounted on the base of the system zooms in and follows every move of suspected individuals.

"It can track him down a street, in and out of a building and follow him as he drives away," said the MI5 officer.

The cameras have undergone exhaustive tests in Muslim dominated enclaves in London, Bradford, Luton and other Midland cities.

Bolted to steel poles high above a city street, each camera provides stunning close-ups which can then be digitized, encrypted and downloaded to one of MI5's sub-stations around the country. Each highly polished lens can be continuously computer-adjusted to compensate for distortion - exhaust fumes and other kinds of pollution - so that the zoom lens provides a consistently clear picture. MI5's super-computers, capable of processing 10 million "floating points per second," feed the images into databanks to cross-check with those already stored. The results are sent to MI6, the Ministry of Defense and regional police forces. Menwith Hill, the U.S. National Security Agency station in the north of England, transmits the information to NSA HQ at Fort George Meade. It is then passed on to the CIA. The Bug has placed Britain firmly at the top of the world's most spied upon countries. All told, there are 4.2 million CCTV cameras operating round the clock in Britain.

"The daily collection of film from all the cameras is enough to encircle the Equator," said an MI5 surveillance expert. J.P. Freeman, a security consultant to the European intelligence community, revealed last week that, by comparison, Germany has just 1.6 million CCTV cameras - making it the next largest spied on country in Europe. Japan and Asia have 3 million cameras. Australia, Africa and the Middle East have 2 million. At Loughborough University, one of Britain's leading computer research centres, scientists are developing a computer program to, among other things, identify suicide bombers before they can launch an attack. "Intelligence CCTV will become the norm in the near decade," said Peter Fry of the UK CCTV User Group. But the emergence of The Bug has raised concerns as to whether surveillance in Britain has gone beyond "what is justified by public safety," said Simon Davies, director of the London based Privacy International. "We do not know what the psychological impact will be on the population," he added. The concern is compounded by the revelation that British police forces, led by the West Midlands force, are "seriously looking" at the idea of using the addition of a drone - a pilotless aircraft - called "Casper." It has a wingspan of 9 feet and is driven by a muffled electric motor that makes it virtually inaudible. Made from lightweight plastic and carbon fiber, it has a top speed of 50mph and can be assembled from its flat-pack wrapping in fifteen minutes. It is launched by an operator throwing it into the air - much as a toy airplane is sent airborne. Casper's small but powerful camera can lock onto and track a single face in a crowded street or sports arena from 500 feet above.

Chief Inspector Robert Hart, head of the specialist operations unit at West Midlands police, admitted: "It is ideal for sensitive operations, including combating terrorism." Currently Britain's Civil Aviation Authority is reviewing the ban on drone flying in most British airspace. And the Parliamentary Home Affairs select committee will decide before the summer recess on new rules for surveillance. Gordon Thomas, a regular G2B contributor, is the author of "Gideon's Spies: The Secret History of the Mossad," the new edition of which was published in January 2007. He specializes in international intelligence matters.

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