Operation Gamble

This article is part of the Counter-Terrorism Portal project of Spinwatch.

Operation Gamble was the codename given to a counter-terrorism operation undertaken on 1 February 2007 in which nine Muslim men were arrested in dawn raids in Sparkhill, Washwood Heath, Kingstanding and Edgbaston – all areas of Birmingham. The operation was headed by the regional anti-terrorism command - the West-Midlands Counter-Terrorism Unit and MI5. The suspected individuals were placed under 24 hour surveillance for 6 months, in an operation that cost £10 million and involved up to 250 officers.

The plot allegedly involved abducting a British Muslim soldier, beheading him and posting the video of the beheading online. According to a senior security source: if the group had "not found a suitable Muslim soldier to kill, it is quite possible they would have plucked an innocent member of the public off the streets and beheaded him."

It eventually emerged that the plot to kidnap a soldier was a grave exaggeration by the press and security oficials. Five men appeared in court, facing 12 terrorism charges, however only one of the men - Parviz Khan - was accused on "intention to kidnap and kill a member of the British armed forces". The other four men were convicted with "supplying and funding terrorists" abroad or "withholding information". Four men were released without any charges being brought against them.

The operation was overshadowed by allegations that the plot was moved forward to move attention away from the intense criticism surrounding the 'cash for honours' inquiry that had engulfed Downing Street and the reports that Britain's prisons were over-populated due to John Reid, the then Home Secretary. The lead agency in the investigation, the West Midlands counter-terrorism unit believed that such misinformation and leaks were made specifically to "deflect attention from the prisons crisis and the cash for honours inquiry." The misinformation that was disseminated was alleged to have come from Whitehall and Home Office officials.

Police Operation

Operation Gamble was a six-month intense police and MI5 surveillance operation. It was the first major counter-terrorism operation that was controlled and undertaken by the newly formed West Midlands Counter-Terrorism Unit. Assistant Chief Constable David Shaw was commanding it.

The surveillance operation was meant to continue for 2 extra months, but police police were warned that because the "group were becoming becoming increasingly agitated" and were "arguing about when to strike" the police decided to act.At 4am, more than 700 (armed and unarmed) police officers simultaneously raided eight homes and four businesses. The raids included eight residential properties, a corner shop, two Islamic bookshops and an internet cafe. A ninth man was arrested on the A38 motorway (near Birmingham) at 3pm.

An undisclosed officer from West Midlands Police said: "this terror raid has come at a very convenient time for the Government as it has taken a number of embarrassing stories off the news agenda. But it must be stressed that the timing of the operation was an independent police decision."

The total cost of the operation was £10 million pounds.Over 4,5000 items of evidence were seized.

Misinformation & Leaks

Officials from Whitehall had briefed journalists once eight people had been arrested as a result of the investigation. The press began reporting the issue, but the ninth suspect still remained at large. He was eventually arrested on the A38 motorway later in the afternoon. The Guardian alleged that "one tabloid newspaper had even been tipped off the night before the dawn raids, and its reporters put on standby to race to Birmingham."

A "counter-terrorism official” said that "an awful lot of inaccuracies" had been reported by the media which he felt had “hampered … their evidence gathering."

Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke stated:

"on the morning of the arrests, almost before the detainees had arrived at the police stations to which they were being taken for questioning, it was clear that key details of the investigation and the evidence had been leaked [to the press]."

An investigation was demanded by politicians into why and how information that was so sensitive and operational had been leaked to the press. Liberty argued that in the case of, amongst others, Operation Gamble, the “situation” was so serious that in addition to an official inquiry,

"... it [was] ... important that more systemic issues are considered with future counter-terrorist operations in mind…” Irresponsible off the record briefings during police counter-terrorist operation are a real danger …[to]…the free flow of information, and the free press [that is required] to guarantee it. [Misinformation] fosters mistrust in the general population who are left wondering if the ‘sources’ are telling the truth or spreading misinformation designed to justify unpopular operations or promote unpopular policies; such as the extension of pre-charge detention periods for terrorists suspects. Many people fear that if this situation is not addressed we will see … draconian and counter-productive legislation [being] ‘sold’ on the basis of misinformation … addressing the issue of the practice of off the record briefings during police counter-terrorist operations is one way of dealing with this."

Michael Portillo argued that leaking of information regarding Operation Gamble

"rescued John Reid [because] there was no room left for the story that had filled them in previous days: the crisis over Britain's overfull jails, and Reid's responsibility for the mess … It looks as though someone close to Reid had the bright idea of digging him out of the prison places mire but has landed him in a deeper bog. As the veteran Tory MP Kenneth Clarke (and former home secretary too) put it, if the Home Office is found to have leaked over the terror inquiry, Reid will find himself in a very difficult position. Yet again … We have reached the point where we do not trust anything that the government tells us".

See Also

• Operation Crevice
• 2008 Counter-Terrorism advertising campaign
• Counter-Terrorism Timeline
• CONTEST
• PREVENT