Quilliam statement on London Underground terror incident

Ansar Ahmed Ullah

Though few details have emerged so far, it is now confirmed that a terror attack took place at Parsons Green underground station in west London. There was an explosion on the tube carriage caused by an improvised explosive device (IED), but the device had only partially detonated and was meant to cause a much bigger explosion. 18 people have been taken to a number of London hospitals with injuries.

London based anti-extremist think tank Quilliam International in a statement issued extended their thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families, and commended the brave men and women of emergency services.

Though no one has been arrested yet, the police have declared the incident a terror attack. This is the fifth major terror incident in the UK this year, following the Westminster attack, the Manchester Arena bombing, the London Bridge attack, and the far-right terror attack near Finsbury Park Mosque.

Though these terror attacks are alarming and disturbing, the number of foiled terror attacks far outnumbers the ones that slip through the net of security services. For example, five planned terror attacks have been prevented just since after the Westminster attack on the 22nd of March. At any given time, MI5 is juggling around 500 active investigations relating to 3,000 people of interest.

Adam Deen, Executive Director of Quilliam UK said, ‘We urge officials and the public to remain resilient and united in the face of this threat. We must be vigilant against future violence, and tackle the root ideological causes of such terrorism, whether that be Islamist extremism or far-right terrorism.’

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