JAFFA, Israel – A prominent Saudi media outlet is striking back at British officials who accused the kingdom of fanning the flames of terror.
The British officials relied on a German intelligence report and similar statements by German officials indicating that Saudi Arabia funds terrorist organizations.
In retaliation, one Saudi paper said that Great Britain has turned from “a haven for extremists” to an “assembly line of terrorists.”
Okaz, one of the largest Saudi newspapers, said that over the past few years Great Britain has become a favorite place of asylum for radical extremists fleeing their respective countries. Britain, the paper claimed, is a major supplier of manpower to some of the most radical terrorist organizations, like Jabhat al-Nusra and Islamic State.
Britain, the paper continued, is the second-largest source of jihadi fighters. “Some people called the British capital ‘Londonistan’ as early as the 1990s.”
As Breitbart London has reported, the British government has been forced to commit more resources to counter terrorism programmes in response to fears that home-grown terrorists are finding safe haven in a variety of communities.
The number of areas in Britain now being supported by the government’s ‘Prevent’ strategy, which aims to stop young Muslims becoming radicalised, has risen by 50 per cent since the project was introduced in 2011.
As Islamic state and other terror groups prove increasingly appealing to young, radicalised British Muslims, the government has been forced to increase funding for the anti-extremism programme and expand the number of areas it covers following a series of reports of Muslims from various towns travelling to join jihad.
The £40 million a year strategy ranges from funding community groups to mentor young people to persuading schools and universities to be on the look-out for signs of radicalisation.
The Daily Express has reported that more than half of suspected Islamist extremists on watch lists live in London – particularly in the east and west.
With additional reporting by Simon Kent
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