A pair
of terror attacks that have rocked the UK in the last two weeks have
come just before the country’s general election. Some believe that
the timing of the attacks is not coincidental, as one of the
candidates has pledged to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia - a known
sponsor of terrorism.
by
Whitney Webb
With the
latest terror attack to befall London taking place less than two
weeks after the concert bombing in Manchester, many are wondering
about the timing and frequency of the attacks. Both attacks occurred
in the lead-up to Thursday’s general election, leading some to
theorize that there may be a link between the election and the uptick
in terrorist activity.
However, one
such explanation has been widely overlooked. Historical precedent and
the high stakes of this upcoming election suggest that one of the
UK’s allies – Saudi Arabia – may have had a much more active
role in the attacks than has been perceived beyond its well-known
penchant for funding terrorist groups.
Saudi Arabia
has been known to threaten foreign governments, particularly the UK,
with an uptick in terrorist activity in the event that arms deals to
the Gulf monarchy are put on hold or limited in any way.
Previously
released court papers reveal that the Saudis had threatened the UK
with an increase in terror attacks if the government of former Prime
Minister Tony Blair chose to move forward with a corruption
investigation concerning sales of arms to the Gulf nation.
According to
official documents, Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan, head of Saudi
Arabia’s now-defunct National Security Council from 2005 to 2015,
told Blair in December 2006 that the UK would face “another 7/7”
and the loss of “British lives on British streets” were the
investigation to continue.
Bandar stood
accused of taking over 1 billion British pounds in secret payments
from BAE, the UK’s largest arms manufacturer – and the world’s
third-largest. Blair subsequently halted the inquiry.
In the
current UK political landscape, there is no greater threat to
UK-Saudi arms deals than Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the UK’s
Labour Party. In addition to being a long-time critic of UK arms
sales to the Saudis and other governments that have been accused of
human rights violations, Corbyn has vowed outright to suspend all
arms sales to Saudi Arabia if he wins this Thursday’s electoral
contest.
The decision
was described as part of a Labour plan to return to an “ethical
foreign policy” focused on “nonproliferation and disarmament”
and led by a concern for human rights.
In contrast,
the Conservative Party, now led by Theresa May, has been eager to
provide the Saudis with massive amounts of weapons. Under former
Prime Minister David Cameron’s six-year tenure, UK arms sales to
the Saudis totaled approximately 5.6 billion British pounds.
May, who
became prime minister following Cameron’s resignation in 2016, has
been an ardent supporter of ties between her nation and Saudi Arabia.
Most recently, her government has blocked the completion of a
“sensitive” report that details the funding of Islamic extremist
groups, allegedly focusing on the Saudis’ leading role in such
activity. By preventing that query – much like what transpired
under Blair in 2006 – May’s government will keep arms flowing
from the British Isles to the Persian Gulf.
Perhaps the
Saudi threats to unleash terror upon the UK if its arms deals are
threatened are what May was referencing when she argued that selling
weapons to the Saudis helps “keep people on the streets of Britain
safe.”
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