Newsnight Debates Hassan Butt

One time terrorist recruiter and Al Q fund raiser Hassan Butt was discussed tonight on Newsnight. On opposite ends of the debate was a woman who was in the 7/7 bombings and who represents some of the other survivors of the bombs and Patrick Mercer.

The woman (who's name escapes me) was of the opinion that by de-radicalising some of the young men who had been fed extreme Islamic claptrap and had become fundementalist, Butt was providing us with a valuble asset. (Butt lost the last of His fundamentalist zeal with the actions of the 7th of July, and the duplicity of Al Q was brought home to Him when He went to the Middle East thinking that His leaders were going to try to allay His misgivings but found they were attempting to send Him to Iraq).

Patrick Mercer on the other hand wanted the guy investigated and if He had done anything illegal (which Butt was not denying - He was forthcoming about His misdeeds) then He should be charged and locked up. He was scathing of McNulty for meeting with Butt.


The reason for this thread is to discuss the relative value of having Butt on our side and the possibility of losing Him if He gets locked up and becomes disallusioned with helping our fight against radical Islam.

 

The bloke is regarded as a bit of a fantasist so don't think there would be much value in locking him up. Like our friend the "TA spy" discussed in threads earlier today, I think the security services looked into his affairs and decided he was a extremist walt. Now he is posing as an ex-extremist walt but the media is still treating him as if his opinion was worth listening to.

Let's face it, if you were recruiting bods for jihad against British forces in Iraq, your first port of call would not be to give interviews to the Daily Mail as this joker was doing in 2003.

I'm surprised Patrick Mercer gave him the time of day.

 

I see you have the "fine" art of a politicians poll sven.

Point people in the right direction on the question and you will get the results you require.


ie.

Allowed to get on with de-radicalising extreme Islamic youths<-- All well and good if true.

Locked up for past crimes and risk losing Him as an asset<-- All bad if true.

Why the bold bit?

Just a Yes or no at least would have got a more representative poll.

 

The lady in question is Rachel North, her blog is here: http://rachelnorthlondon.blogspot.com/

Her book, "Out of the Tunnel", about 7/7, is not bad, either.

I.

 

The only questions that matter are:

1. Will radicalised islamic yoof take him seriously?
2. Will Islamic leadership take him seriously?
3. Was he ever a major threat to this country?
4. Does he have an insight into radical Islam that would be of any use?

Judging by the fact that the verdict is that he is a walt, then the answer to the above is no.

On the other hand, if he's fessed up and gets locked up, then that too would be counter productive. Let him have his 5 minutes and then flick the 'Ignore' button.

 

You have a link to this as EVERYONE on Newsnight thought Butt was authentic and it isn't like Paxman not to do His research.

 

More fool them - see this link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1746454.stm (BBC, Jan 2002)

The man's a terro-walt

 

Ahh must be the truth then. Newsnight, while pretty good, is there to entertain as much as inform. They knew this story would invite controversy so went with it, doesn't make this guy any less of a walt though.

 

Sven

Mercer's point was that the bloke's claims should be investigated, and only when it was proved what he had been about should he either be put away or used.

Paxman was, of course, playing Devil's advocate and leaping from one extreme position to another.

Mr Butt seems so very earnest, but his 'conversion' a little too good to be true. The fact that he was caught on film so often in the past made him a trifle unusual for a committed terrorist.

W

 

Yellow Devil

Note the quote from Bakri Mohammed - spokesman for al-Muhajiroun - when He said

"Hassan Butt no longer represents al-Muhajiroun in Pakistan . . . .
. . . . . . He no longer even exists in our offices in Lahore"


Don't the enboldened bits more than suggest that Butt WAS once the representative for al-Muhajiroun, and don't Mohammeds words mirror the BNPs when they announced that the Lancashire bomber was no longer a member of 'the party'

the words 'damage limitation' spring to mind

 

He WAS a member of al-Muhajiroun, an organisation which

Link

 

It would be extremely unlike Paxman to do his own research...as for his team I could not possibly comment.