Terrorists ready to pounce in Finland.
@ 5:10 am In one of those juvenile attempts to demonstrate that dramatic events could possibly happen in Finland, too, Aatos Erkko’s Helsingin Sanomat publishes an interview with Finland’s Security Police, SUPO, announcing that suspected terrorists are now being trailed in Finland:
The most serious suspicions in Finland have been associated with a grouping that is believed to have a plan for a terrorist act, says Selin. SUPO has also taken an interest in the flows of funding that may or may not have some links with this venture.
There is also empirical evidence that those individuals who have been under surveillance also know that SUPO has its eye on them.
Thanks, Aatos! We’re sure glad you know we need to know that.
But read on down the admittedly interesting article, and you’ll find a curious omission:
The British Sunday broadsheet “The Observer†was able to disclose details soon after the scheme was foiled…
(Note to Aatos: after the scheme was foiled), -
revealing how British and Pakistani security forces had got on the trail of the planned attack.
One of the most important tip-offs came from inside the British Muslim community, and as a result of this information the authorities set about monitoring the telephone traffic of those under suspicion. This sketched out a picture of a network in which certain individuals had a more significant role than others.
At much the same time, information came to light on e-mail addresses of some of the suspects, and the authorities began to follow the traffic through these addresses. The next stage involved phone-tapping, the bugging of apartments and houses used by suspects, and the planting of electronic tracking devices in vehicles.
Nowhere does Helsingin Sanomat reveal the most important source of evidence for the British: i.e., that which came from Pakistan’s torture of one of the ringleaders while he was visiting Pakistan. Aatos Erkko, of course, doesn’t want you to discuss the issues too much. For that, you need to turn to the blogosphere.
Now, given Finland’s predilection to do the morally right thing in every instance, shouldn’t eduskunta begin to debate the issue of whether SUPO should be allowed to use information that possibly came from the use of torture overseas in this case? There is a possibility that one of these fellows under surveillance might travel overseas, where he could be arrested and tortured. Isn’t it important for Finland to decide now whether it should accept any information gleaned from such a source? Why haven’t any of the political parties in eduskunta taken upon themselves, as guardians of Finland’s morality, to pre-empt the possibility that SUPO might be overeager to get information from such sources? And, finally, shouldn’t this debate take place now, before any further action regarding these potential terrorists are taken?
Come to think of it, it does look like SUPO may have sought the help of Aatos Erkko in getting publicity for this case, which makes flight for these potential terrorists a real possibility. Doesn’t that already imply that SUPO, like the British, could want to tip off security services in some Muslim dictatorship, in the hopes that they will do the dirty work Finns don’t deign to do? Shouldn’t concerned Finns do something about it?
