.Brown 'crackdown' on Yemen terror is exposed as just spin
Gordon Brown was accused of 'playing politics with terrorism' yesterday as the British Embassy in Yemen was evacuated after 'credible' threats of an attack by the Al Qaeda cell behind the syringe bomb plot.
The Prime Minister was forced into an embarrassing climbdown after Downing Street claimed that he was spearheading a Yemen terror crackdown with Barack Obama.
Mr Brown had to admit today that he had not even discussed the issue with the American President since the attack that nearly brought down a transatlantic airliner on Christmas Day.
No 10 claimed on Saturday that Mr Brown had agreed with Mr Obama to launch a new initiative to thwart the Al Qaeda group responsible.
'Amongst the initiatives the PM has agreed with President Obama is US-UK funding for a special counter-terrorism police unit in Yemen,' the statement said, adding that the plans had 'been discussed in a series of phone calls since the failed plot'.
But that was exposed as spin yesterday when Mr Brown was asked in a TV interview whether he had spoken to Mr Obama. He replied: 'Not directly.'
Senior American officials rubbished the Downing Street spin, pointing out that the counter-terrorism police force has in fact been operating for months.
A senior Obama official said he was 'unaware of any new joint effort'.
Mr Brown admitted: 'The truth is we've been doing this for some time. We've been working with the Americans to strengthen the counter-terrorism operation in Yemen.'
The Tories reacted with fury that No 10 had sought to spin the terrorist response at the same time as the Embassy in the Yemeni capital San'a was threatened with an attack.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling said: 'For a Prime Minister to play politics with the issue of terrorism is a disgrace.
'We need a measured and sensible debate about how we respond to the threats we face - exaggeration and spin by Downing Street has no place in that debate.'
The Prime Minister wrote a message to voters on New Year's Day warning that Yemen was a 'new' terrorist threat to rival that of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
But President Obama's top counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan said yesterday: 'It's not a new front. It's one that we've known about.
'We've been investing in Yemen for many, many months.'
A British security source told the Mail: 'Yemen has been on the radar as a terrorist threat for more than a decade and has been a major concern of the intelligence agencies for more than a year. The question is: Why has it taken until now for the government to respond?'
A Foreign Office spokesman said the British embassy in Yemen was closed yesterday 'for security reasons' and a decision would be taken later as to whether it will reopen today MON.
The US embassy was also shut down.
It emerged yesterday that British security forces knew three years ago that the syringe bomber had 'multiple communications' with Islamic extremists during the three years he spent as a student in London.
Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, was 'reaching out' to Islamic radicals under Security Service surveillance while studying at University College London. He was banned from Britain and placed on a watch list earlier this year.
President Barack Obama has confirmed that a branch of Al Qaeda had been behind the attempted attack by 23-year-old Abdulmutallab on Christmas Day.
'We know that he travelled to Yemen, a country grappling with crushing poverty and deadly insurgencies,' the president said in his weekly internet address.
'It appears that he joined an affiliate of al-Qaeda, and that this group - al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula - trained him, equipped him with those explosives and directed him to attack that plane headed for America.'
The growing threat of extremism in Yemen is due to be discussed at a summit of world leaders in London later this month.
Downing Street put out a statement yesterday highlighting co-operation between the UK and the US in the region.
Joint funding is being provided for a counter-terrorism police unit in Yemen, along with more support for the country's coastguard.
Mr Brown has also called a summit of world leaders in London later this month to discuss the rising terrorist threat from Yemen.
Meanwhile, the Somali man who attacked an artist who depicted the Prophet Muhammad in a controversial cartoon had previously been arrested in Kenya, according to Danish media.
The 28-year-old was held in September for allegedly participating in plotting an attack against U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Reports said he was released because of a lack of evidence.
The man has been charged with attempted murder after breaking into artist Kurt Westergaard's home in the Danish city of Aarhus, armed with an axe and a knife on Friday night.
DailyMail
The Prime Minister was forced into an embarrassing climbdown after Downing Street claimed that he was spearheading a Yemen terror crackdown with Barack Obama.
Mr Brown had to admit today that he had not even discussed the issue with the American President since the attack that nearly brought down a transatlantic airliner on Christmas Day.
No 10 claimed on Saturday that Mr Brown had agreed with Mr Obama to launch a new initiative to thwart the Al Qaeda group responsible.
'Amongst the initiatives the PM has agreed with President Obama is US-UK funding for a special counter-terrorism police unit in Yemen,' the statement said, adding that the plans had 'been discussed in a series of phone calls since the failed plot'.
But that was exposed as spin yesterday when Mr Brown was asked in a TV interview whether he had spoken to Mr Obama. He replied: 'Not directly.'
Senior American officials rubbished the Downing Street spin, pointing out that the counter-terrorism police force has in fact been operating for months.
A senior Obama official said he was 'unaware of any new joint effort'.
Mr Brown admitted: 'The truth is we've been doing this for some time. We've been working with the Americans to strengthen the counter-terrorism operation in Yemen.'
The Tories reacted with fury that No 10 had sought to spin the terrorist response at the same time as the Embassy in the Yemeni capital San'a was threatened with an attack.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling said: 'For a Prime Minister to play politics with the issue of terrorism is a disgrace.
'We need a measured and sensible debate about how we respond to the threats we face - exaggeration and spin by Downing Street has no place in that debate.'
The Prime Minister wrote a message to voters on New Year's Day warning that Yemen was a 'new' terrorist threat to rival that of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
But President Obama's top counter-terrorism adviser John Brennan said yesterday: 'It's not a new front. It's one that we've known about.
'We've been investing in Yemen for many, many months.'
A British security source told the Mail: 'Yemen has been on the radar as a terrorist threat for more than a decade and has been a major concern of the intelligence agencies for more than a year. The question is: Why has it taken until now for the government to respond?'
A Foreign Office spokesman said the British embassy in Yemen was closed yesterday 'for security reasons' and a decision would be taken later as to whether it will reopen today MON.
The US embassy was also shut down.
It emerged yesterday that British security forces knew three years ago that the syringe bomber had 'multiple communications' with Islamic extremists during the three years he spent as a student in London.
Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, was 'reaching out' to Islamic radicals under Security Service surveillance while studying at University College London. He was banned from Britain and placed on a watch list earlier this year.
President Barack Obama has confirmed that a branch of Al Qaeda had been behind the attempted attack by 23-year-old Abdulmutallab on Christmas Day.
'We know that he travelled to Yemen, a country grappling with crushing poverty and deadly insurgencies,' the president said in his weekly internet address.
'It appears that he joined an affiliate of al-Qaeda, and that this group - al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula - trained him, equipped him with those explosives and directed him to attack that plane headed for America.'
The growing threat of extremism in Yemen is due to be discussed at a summit of world leaders in London later this month.
Downing Street put out a statement yesterday highlighting co-operation between the UK and the US in the region.
Joint funding is being provided for a counter-terrorism police unit in Yemen, along with more support for the country's coastguard.
Mr Brown has also called a summit of world leaders in London later this month to discuss the rising terrorist threat from Yemen.
Meanwhile, the Somali man who attacked an artist who depicted the Prophet Muhammad in a controversial cartoon had previously been arrested in Kenya, according to Danish media.
The 28-year-old was held in September for allegedly participating in plotting an attack against U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Reports said he was released because of a lack of evidence.
The man has been charged with attempted murder after breaking into artist Kurt Westergaard's home in the Danish city of Aarhus, armed with an axe and a knife on Friday night.
DailyMail
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