Al Qaeda has seized the opportunity of the Arab Spring uprisings to spread its influence and spawn new bases, says the chief of UK intelligence service.
As the radical Islamist organization started losing steam in Afghanistan and Pakistan following the elimination of its leader Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda militants moved to some unstable countries for training, adds Jonathan Evans, Britain’s top spy, in a speech on the terror threats to the London 2012 Summer Olympics. He cites Yemen, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Egypt as major hotbeds and recruiting grounds for the terror network, a new development raising serious security concerns.
Arab Spring has created a new generation of terrorists and new areas wherein Al Qaeda can grow, warns the MI5 boss. “Today parts of the Arab world, which is undergoing a radical transition, have once more become a permissive environment for Al Qaeda”, he stresses, urging concerted actions to take up global terror challenges.
Arab Spring Countries, Fertile Land for Al Qaeda
