Country Reports on Terrorism 2012

esources to successfully host both events. There were terrorist threats against UK interests in
2012, although extensive and collaborative work led to the disruption of known threats. In the
lead up and throughout the summer, the UK services conducted arrests and worked to remove
violent extremists and obstructionists from the streets.
On October 24, the British Security Service downgraded the threat to Great Britain from
dissident Irish republicans from "substantial" to "moderate." The decrease shows the authorities
regard an attack on London and other British cities from such groups as possible, but not likely.
Previously it was deemed a strong possibility. The threat level in Northern Ireland has not
changed. It remained "severe" with an attack still highly likely. On its website, MI5 said: "The
threat level for Northern Ireland-related terrorism is separate from that for international
terrorism. It is also set separately for Northern Ireland and Great Britain."
Legislation, Law Enforcement, and Border Security: In October 2011, the UK government
published a Green Paper proposing legislation to protect sensitive information from public
disclosure in judicial proceedings. The impetus for the Green Paper stems from the civil case
brought by former Guantanamo detainee Binyam Mohammed, in which a UK court ruled in
2009 that U.S. intelligence cited in that case must be released into the public domain, over the
objections of both the U.S. and UK governments. The Justice and Security bill was introduced to
the House of Commons on November 28, 2012. At year’s end it remained in the legislative
process.
The Crime and Courts Bill creating the National Crime Agency was introduced on May 10, 2012
in the House of Lords.
A Draft Communications Data Bill proposed by Home Secretary May would require additional
data collection and retention of user activity by internet service providers and mobile phone
services, recording contact information for each user's webmail, voice calls, social media,
internet gaming, and mobile phone contacts and store them for 12 months. Retention of email
and telephone contact data for this time is already required.
2012 law enforcement actions included:
In January, Ryan Lavery, 27, of Ballymote Park, Downpatrick was arrested and accused
of possessing or collecting documents that could have been of use to terrorists in
Northern Ireland. Police said his computer had photos of vehicles coming in and out of
the Ballykinler Army Base, County Down, Northern Ireland. Mr. Lavery also possessed a
list of vehicle registration numbers.
April marked the first time a convicted UK terrorist entered into an agreement with the
Crown Prosecution Service to give evidence in a trial against other alleged terrorists.
Saajid Badat testified during the trial of Adis Medunjanin, a Bosnian-born U.S. citizen,
who denied involvement in a suicide bomb plot on the New York subway in 2009. Zarein
Ahmedzay and Najibullah Zazi were both jailed in 2010 after admitting their part in the
foiled plot. The trial revealed details of young Western Muslims travelling to South Asia
to receive training from al-Qa’ida.
On April 24, five men, aged between 21 and 35, were arrested on suspicion of the
commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism. They were arrested at
102