Countdown to Terror

Chapter 30

Samir need not have worried. On Wednesday morning, 3rd July, it happened. Hussein called the trio together and in a quiet matter-of-fact manner gave them a simple instruction.

‘Get ready. You have fifteen minutes. The mission is now. Wear dark, loose clothing. You must be ready to fight and move fast. Say your prayers. Allahu Akbar.’ (God is most great).

The shock was enormous after all this time of waiting all cooped up. All remained static, transfixed as if rooted to the floor. Ali and Abdullah moved first, Samir slower, his brain trying to form some kind of plan as to how to warn those watching for him in advance. No plan came to mind; he was stuck with having to run both of his hands twice through his hair as he left the safe house. He would have to hope that the watchers were alert and themselves had back-up, and quick. Hussein was waiting at the door as they gathered. Moving out swiftly, another vehicle cruised slowly down the street, a white Ford transit van with four men inside. Hussein beckoned to the driver to pull in behind their own light brown Vauxhall Astra estate car. Two passengers jumped from the van as the rear doors opened. A third passed to Hussein what looked like homemade incendiary devices, which he deposited them in the back of the Astra. The exercise took less than a minute.

There was panic in the watching Met police car, an unmarked grey Vauxhall Insignia. Bellamy was the driver, with Detective Constable Jill Johnson in the back. The front-seat passenger, Detective Sergeant Patterson, was frantically calling in the situation.

‘Monroe, Monroe, urgent. The equipment’s just been dropped off. They’re on the move. White Ford transit van and Astra estate. Need back-up, urgent. Repeat: need back-up.’ After providing the registration number, they were off, keeping a safe distance.

Seconds later, Monroe was on, ‘Patterson, where are you?’

‘At the moment we are heading towards the Mile End Road, at a leisurely pace sir. Problem is, I don’t want to be seen but don’t want to lose them either.’

‘OK, Patterson. I’m in a car right now and can be over there in five minutes and can mobilise back-up as we speak. Which vehicle is the group in?’

‘The Astra, I don’t know who is in the van, any ideas, sir?’

‘No idea. We’ve had no intelligence at all on that one. Someone’s been very quiet, or they’re from out of town – doesn’t matter now. We’ve got to stop them before they strike. Trouble is where the hell are they heading?’

Patterson had a question, ‘we’re coming up to the Mile End Road soon. How far away are you, because we can’t follow both vehicles?’

Monroe replied, ‘You stay with the Astra, because we’ll all be at the job centre tomorrow if they get away. I’m not far away now on Whitechapel Road.’

‘Right, OK, sir. They’re just turning left onto the A11 Mile End Road, heading west towards the city. Hold on, they’ve speeding up. I think we’ve been spotted. Getting faster, do we stay with them, sir? We’ll need the blue light?’