Jihadists inspected UK Parliament as tourists – intel report
Islamists went on tours of the Houses of Parliament in London in order to examine the buildings, British intelligence revealed, prompting calls for the closure of the Palace of Westminster to the public.
The information on jihadists having joined groups touring the
Parliament was disclosed to the MPs at one of security briefings,
according to intelligence sources who spoke to the Mail on
Sunday.
The revelation coming in the wake of the Canadian parliament
shooting has led to Labour MP Barry Sheerman
to demand that Speaker John Bercow limit the number of tourists
visiting the House of Commons.
READ MORE:CCTV video captures Ottawa gunman’s parliament rampage
“When I raised this danger earlier this year I had my
knuckles rapped,” Sheerman said. “The former Commons
Clerk Sir Robert Rogers accused me of being a scaremonger. But it
does not just belong to the realms of Doctor Who for people to
blow up Big Ben.”
An aide to Bercow, who would not give his name, opposed the idea
of closing Parliament for tourists, saying that it had tight
enough security to prevent an attack similar to the one in
Ottawa.
“The day people would rather click on the internet to read about politics than come to Parliament to see it in action would be a dark day for democracy,” the aide told the Mail on Sunday. “We must not hand that propaganda victory to the terrorists.”
MPs have meanwhile been instructed on what to do in case a shooter does break into the parliament building.
READ MORE:Islamic State supporters leaflet Central London, declaring ‘dawn of a new era’
“In the event of an incident involving firearms or other
weapons, the police will take operational control,” the new
security protocol, cited by the Telegraph, reads.
“If you hear gunfire, move away; but consider barricading
yourself and others in a room if danger is close.”
Among various safety measures, MPs are being advised to
installing panic buttons in their offices and setting up a
“safe room” in their homes to be able to hide from
possible intruders.
Earlier this week, a senior British politician and former cabinet
minister, Peter Hain, called for a review of the House of Commons’ security
procedures and infrastructure in the wake of the Canadian
parliament shootings.
Britain’s most senior police officer Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe
warned several days ago that “up to five
British jihadis” were joining militant groups in Syria every
week, and that there have been at least 500 Britons who have
traveled to the region to fight.
A London-based think tank, the International Centre for the Study
of Radicalisation (ICSR), has estimated one British jihadist
fighting in Syria dies every three weeks.