London — As outrage grows over the revelation that at least one of the London attackers was a well-known Islamist, authorities admitted on Tuesday that their hands were often tied in tackling even known threats. The issue of counterterrorism has rocked the campaign for Britain’s national election on Thursday and put Prime Minister Theresa May and the country’s security establishment on the defensive. Police said that after three deadly attacks in three months they could hardly keep tabs on 3,000 people on the terror watchlist and 20,000 who have been on the intelligence radar in the past. And this despite sweeping new surveillance laws, particularly for online communications. Peter Neumann, professor of security studies at King’s College in London, said it was simply "not possible" for a Western democracy to keep a close eye on all potential suspects. "There is a huge capacity problem that is similar to other Western European countries," he said. "Monitoring one person 24 hours a da...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.