England Peparing For Christmas: Alert Level Raised To Red

Fomr Allah @ Hot Air and ABC's Blotter:

British intelligence and law enforcement officials have passed on a grim assessment to their U.S. counterparts, "It will be a miracle if there isn't a terror attack over the holidays in London," a senior American law enforcement official tells ABCNews.com.

British police have been quietly carrying out a series of key arrests as they continue to track at least six active "plots" tied to what they call "al Qaeda of England."

Officials said they could not cite any specific date or target but said al Qaeda had planned previous operations during the Christmas holidays that had been disrupted.

"It is not a matter of if there will be an attack, but how bad the attack will be," an intelligence official told ABCNews.com.

Authorities say they are seeking at least 18 suspected suicide bombers.

"They hope they are one step ahead, but they seriously fear they may be one step behind," the senior American official said.

British law enforcement and intelligence officials say the ongoing plots have been in the planning stages for at least three years. The officials say the plots are all connected and track back to al Qaeda commanders in Pakistan who have been recruiting and training British citizens of Pakistan descent.

A report by "Newsweek" says that American al Qaeda figure Adam Gadahn has served as a translator of a 12-member team of Western recruits, the "English brothers," said to be preparing an attack that would be much bigger than last year's attack on the London subway system.

U.S. officials say the "Newsweek" report is, in many respects, parallel to intelligence reports they have been receiving.

British Home Minister John Reid recently told reporters that it was "highly likely" that terrorists would attempt an attack before the first of the year.

This is a disturbing report in a couple of aspects. First, there was the plot that was foiled earlier this year in Britain where a number of terrorists were plotting to use jetliners as weapons again, this time by blowing them up over American cities. Secondly, this shows that Britain has a serious problem with "home-grown" terrorism, Their citizens--the ones of Middle Eastern descent--are being specifically targeted for recruitment. It is likely that many of them have already been recruited, and put through training, and have simply been in hiding awaiting their orders; awaiting their day of martyrdom.

The British are not ones to back away from a challenge, and this certainly is one for them. Yes, they are tracking individuals, and they are making arrests, but the question remains--can they get them all before it is too late?

Of course if they catch them, that is a boon for our side. But more importantly, if Adam Gadahn is indeed in Britain helping them, he would be the key catch. He faces treason charges here in the United States, but more importantly, he has direct contact, supposedly, with al-Zawahiri in Pakistan. In short, if he is caught, we do have ways of making him talk. But he would be the prize if the British managed to stop this cell.

Let us all remember our allies across the pond this holiday season, and pray they succeed in preventing another attack on their soil.

Marcie