As Britain struggles to come to terms with the Manchester bombing, lurking in the background is the threat of another such attack. What has surprised the intelligence fraternity and security experts is how the bomber, now identified as Salman Abedi, could have pulled off such a sophisticated attack. It takes some expertise to put a bomb together and there was nothing to indicate that Abedi was working on one. Although plans on how to make a bomb are available on the internet not all are authentic and some could actually get one injured. Even if one were to get one’s hands on a plan, procuring the ingredients usually leave a trail that could be sniffed out by MI6. Assuming that the plan and ingredients are in place one still has to assemble the bomb which is a very risky undertaking. While there might be people who can get bomb details and the ingredients together, actually seeing the plan through takes a great amount of determination and a total disregard for human life. British sleuths now believe that Abedi could not have acted alone and their worst nightmare is that there could be a bomb expert roaming free in the country. This is why the country has been placed on a very high alert. The search is on for the ‘other guys’ who might have helped Abedi in his deadly act.
The BBC home affairs department has monitored every terrorist incident and the conclusion is that a majority of the suspects dragged to court are incapable of either building a bomb or going through with the plan. Many talk of building bombs, but most do not get very far. Many get caught because they cannot cover their tracks and others simply give up because they are not convinced they can pull it off. Bomb ingredients are volatile, corrosive and cannot be stored like cheese and butter in a refrigerator. Hence, recent terrorist attacks have featured use of knives or vehicles. So, what sets Abedi apart from the wannabe terrorists? How did he learn to make the bomb? Did someone else give it to him? There is isn’t enough evidence or data and police are on the lookout for co-conspirators, if they exist. Until investigators determine the nature of the bomb and the trigger it would be difficult to ascertain the signature on it.
Abedi, a 22-year-old of Libyan origin was born and brought up in Britain. His family returned to Libya leaving him and his brother in the UK. There are reports of his family hinting to the police that he could be dangerous. Yet he remained under the radar. The Manchester bombing has exposed a chink in anti-terrorist measures. A larger group tends to leave more trails, but one man working alone is almost impossible to detect or apprehend. And this is Britain’s biggest nightmare at this point of time.
