Countdown to Terror

Chapter 18

The Gent was still mulling things over and waiting for Jenny when he had an idea. Was this about terrorism in general, Al Qaeda-sponsored, or was it to do with any particular sect of Islam? Gus McDonald, the construction manager from Jeddah whom he had visited a few weeks before, was quite knowledgeable about Islam, having been an expat in the Middle East for many years. It was twelve fifteen, and it would be two hours later in Jeddah – siesta time, and too hot for work on many sites. Gus McDonald was most likely to be in his air-conditioned office rather than out on site. The phone was answered on the sixth ring by the male secretary, in perfect English with a slight Pakistani accent. He was put through straightaway.

Gus sounded as if he had been napping.

‘It’s nice to hear from you. Hope your trip home was OK. Are you reporting back on anything?’

‘Actually no, just a small favour, if I may.’

‘Of course, fire away.’

‘Well, I know you’re pretty clued up on Islam and the Middle East. In layman’s terms, what would I need to study to gain an understanding about the various sects, etc., in different Middle East countries?’

Gus guffawed. ‘How long have you got? It’s a life’s work for many people, but your starting point needs to be the main schisms, Sunni and Shia, for example. Saudi is mainly Sunni, but of the Wahhabi influence. Qatar, one of the emirate states, has a Sunni majority of Wahhabi influence. Across the Middle East there are states where a minority Sunni group rules and dominates a Shia majority, and vice versa. In Syria Assad’s Alawites (Shia) dominate the majority Sunni. Iran is predominantly Shia. You can get a lot of up-to- date stuff from the internet and newspapers, etc. I could go on!’ Gus offered.

‘No, no, that’s very informative. I think there’s a lot to learn, but at least I know where to start. Thank you again, and good luck with the project.’

‘So long, mate,’ Gus replied and the lecture was ended.

Whilst not in great depth, it was enough to refresh his memory. Perhaps a bit of research was needed.

Jenny arrived back at ten past one, looking like a Hollywood star after being pampered in the salon, with low lights in her blond hair, cut and blow-dried and French-manicured nails.

‘How do you fancy an hour in the British Museum this afternoon?’ he suggested.

‘Great. A girl can’t have too much culture, you know.’

‘Settled then, a quick sandwich for lunch, then before, we go,’ he offered.

An hour later they were in the British Museum.

It was a mistake. He had expected to be able to access the library and browse away for an hour, but an appointment was needed in order to have particular catalogues available. They passed an hour or two wandering around, and had a coffee in the court café. Security did not seem to have improved since the last visit. He was disappointed about his lack of success, and decided that the most useful type of information would be that of a political nature rather than historical/cultural, as in the British Museum. Reflecting on his conversation with Gus McDonald, he decided to research on the internet on various websites and media. He quickly concurred with Gus’s opinion that trying to understand the complexities of the Middle East and the Islamic world was a lifetime’s work even for the most gifted scholar. He soon discovered that trying to understand the myriad branches of the main wings of Islam, Sunni and Shia could prove a futile road to go down. One of the most informative overall summaries he came across was an item in Fredrick Forsyth’s column in the Daily Express of April 27th April, 2012. Forsyth drew the conclusion that none of the conflicts was a single issue and that the doctrinal differences within Islam are not the West’s quarrel.

What did draw his attention were connections to two places featuring in the present conundrum. First, Manchester, Manchester City Football Club moved from Maine Road to the City of Manchester stadium, the centre point of the 2002 Commonwealth games. The club was purchased by Thakshin Sinawatra, the former Prime Minister of Thailand, in 2007. However, this venture was not to succeed, and in 2008 the club was sold to Abu Dhabi United Group, making it one of the best financed in the premier league. With sponsorship from Etihad Airways, the official airline of the United Arab Emirates, the site was now known as the Etihad Stadium. The Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment (ADUG) was a United Arab Emirates (UAE) private equity company owned by Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi Royal Family and Minister of Presidential Affairs for the UAE. The Group was formed as the investment vehicle for the takeover of Manchester City in 2008. The Etihad Stadium was a stone’s throw from the regeneration area of New Islington, and a short distance from Cheetham Hill.

Second, Bermondsey, London, leaving the underground at London Bridge and proceeding through the newly regenerated London Bridge Quarter to Bermondsey, one was confronted by opulence on a grand scale. The brightest and most unmistakable example could only be the ‘Shard’. Towering over the South Bank of the Thames, the Shard was the tallest building in Western Europe at thr310 metres high (1016 feet), and consisted of the capital’s highest public viewing gallery, offering 360°views of the City of London. His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Bin Saoud Al Thani, Governor of Qatar Central Bank and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Shard Funding Limited announced that the official inauguration of Shard Tower in London would be on July 5th, 2012. The tower would be inaugurated by His Excellency Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassem Bin Jabor Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, and Prince Andrew, the Duke of York. A US Congressional report dated June 6th by Christopher M. Blanchard, a specialist in Middle Eastern affairs, gave invaluable insight into the strategic importance of Qatar in the region: ‘their assertive diplomacy has given rise to resentment in some quarters. The power of its government supported by Al Jazeera satellite television station network has made Qatar a key player during the unfolding “Arab Spring”, a movement for more democracy in many Arab countries. The document was twenty-one pages and only served to give him a headache.

Dwelling on all this information for some time brought no firm conclusions. Could there be disgruntled parties plotting revenge for a real or imagined injustice, or was it all pure coincidence? Was it an Al Qaeda-sponsored operation? What exactly was the Shard? Maybe a visit was needed.

He was shaken out of his contemplation by the ringing of his mobile. It was Monroe of the Met.

‘Hi, thought I’d let you know, we traced signals from Samir Khan’s mobile to a house in Bermondsey. I’ve just come back from there, and guess what? They did a runner last night. All we found was a body, shot in the back and left in the doorway where he fell, poor bugger. Can’t stop, there’s another lead coming in. I’ll get back to you.’

He was about to offer thanks but the line was already dead, Chief Inspector Monroe was indeed busy. He had wanted to have a chat with Monroe about Sulamain Khan and his role in all this, but he would have to wait until the Met man called back. Jack Spinner hadn’t called back yet, either. It was forever a waiting game. Time had gone in a flash. Their train back to Crewe was in an hour.