Latest news with #NeilBasu
Arab News
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Iraq War a factor in 2005 London bombings: Ex-counterterror chief
LONDON: British foreign policy, including the Iraq War, contributed to motivations for the attacks in London on July 7, 2005, a former counterterrorism chief has said, warning that the atrocity left a 'soul-destroying' legacy of hate. Neil Basu's remarks were made to The Guardian ahead of the 20th anniversary of the attacks, which were carried out by Islamist extremists and left 52 people dead and more than 750 injured. British foreign policy has a direct effect on domestic security, said Basu, adding that one driver of the attacks was 'foreign policy and Iraq,' referring to Britain's central role in the conflict alongside the US. 'That does not excuse in any way what they did. That foreign policy decision has radicalized and made extremists of people who might not have been radicalized or extreme,' he said. In the wake of the attacks, the shock in Britain was compounded by the revelation that the group of suicide bombers had been supported by Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda terror group. 'All terrorists will have a freedom fighter story,' Basu said: 'Bin Laden would have had a freedom fighter story. We might think it's crap. We might think it's self-justification, but he will have had a story about liberating his lands from the great invaders.' The ringleader of the attacks was Mohammed Sidique Khan. The husband and father said in a self-recorded video before his death by suicide: 'We are at war and I am a soldier. Now you, too, will taste the reality of this situation.' Basu warned that the new threat level to the UK from terrorism is far higher than in 2005. 'There is no one path for any single individual to go down a terrorist route. There's a multiplicity of paths, and one of them is: 'I'm right, you're wrong.' Now that looks obscene to us … they are on God's side. We are on Satan's side,' he said. 'When terrorists hide behind a religion to commit an atrocity, people blame every follower of the religion and the religion itself. We ought to stop doing that.' As a result of that behavior on a national scale, people in Britain are suspicious of those who 'don't look like you, think like you, eat like you, worship like you,' Basu said. 'That has got worse, not better, and that has been caused exactly as terrorists want, by dividing a society by committing the shocking act.' The attacks also led to a reversal of decades of progress in race and religious relations, Basu said, highlighting a surging suspicion of Muslims in Britain in the decades since. The 'trajectory of tolerance' seen in the UK since the 1980s has been wiped out, he added, citing the July 7 bombings and 9/11 attacks in the US as crucial factors. 'That's what I think has been most soul-destroying … It has interrupted a trajectory of tolerance that I was becoming very familiar and happy with,' Basu said. 'It started with 9/11 … 7/7 accelerated that in this country. The relationship between races is worse today, or as bad today as it was in the 70s and 80s. That period of tolerance is over, and feels very much over.' For Muslims in Britain, the events of that decade led to wider damage within the community as members risked being tarred with suspicion by the public, Basu said. A cycle of hatred and intolerance had been set in motion as a result, he added, warning of surging right-wing extremism and racism. 'I look at the rise of extreme right-wing terrorism in this country … of right-wing, racist attitudes toward black and brown people, and I look at the rise in hate crime reporting … and can't help but think we've got a vicious cycle that started when certain vicious groups started killing people on western soil. I think they were intending to do that, and they have succeeded,' he said.
The Independent
06-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Foreign policy was a ‘driver of 7/7 attacks', says former counterterror chief Neil Basu
The 7/7 terror attacks were in part driven by Britain's foreign policy under Sir Tony Blair, a former national head of counterterrorism has claimed ahead of the 20th anniversary of the bombings. On 7 July 2005, four suicide bombers targeted the capital, killing 52 people and injuring more than 770 on three London Underground trains and a bus. Confusion, panic and then terror gripped the capital, as survivors emerged from Tube stations, some with lost limbs, others supporting their fellow travellers who were caked in dust. Terror group al-Qaeda later claimed responsibility, and in the subsequent hunt for suspects, police shot dead an innocent man, Jean Charles de Menezes, at a Tube station. Speaking to The Guardian ahead of the anniversary, Neil Basu said: 'A driver of the 7/7 attacks was foreign policy and Iraq. That does not excuse in any way what they did. 'That foreign policy decision has radicalised and made extremists of people who might not have been radicalised or extreme. And if they were on the pathway, it's pretty much guaranteed … 'All terrorists will have a freedom fighter story. Bin Laden would have had a freedom fighter story. We might think it's crap. We might think it's self-justification, but he will have had a story about liberating his lands from the great invaders.' He also said it did not mean a terrorist threat should dictate foreign policy. Mr Basu said the 'shocking act' divided society. He said: 'When terrorists hide behind a religion to commit an atrocity, people blame every follower of the religion and the religion itself. We ought to stop doing that. 'That causes a fear and suspicion of people who don't look like you, think like you, eat like you, worship like you. That has got worse, not better, and that has been caused exactly as terrorists want, by dividing a society by committing the shocking act.' Terror attacks have 'interrupted a trajectory of tolerance', he added. Mr Basu said: 'That's what I think has been most soul-destroying … It has interrupted a trajectory of tolerance that I was becoming very familiar and happy with … 'It started with 9/11 … 7/7 accelerated that in this country. The relationship between races is worse today, or as bad today as it was in the 70s and 80s. That period of tolerance is over, and feels very much over.'
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Foreign policy was a ‘driver of 7/7 attacks', says former counter-terror chief
Foreign policy was a 'driver of the 7/7 attacks', a former national head of counter-terrorism has said ahead of the 20th anniversary of the bombings. On July 7 2005, four suicide bombers targeted the capital's transport network, killing 52 people and injuring more than 770 on three London Underground trains and a bus. A series of attempted bombings followed the attacks and, in the subsequent hunt for suspects, police shot dead innocent man Jean Charles de Menezes at a Tube station. Speaking to The Guardian, Neil Basu said: 'A driver of the 7/7 attacks was foreign policy and Iraq. That does not excuse in any way what they did. 'That foreign policy decision has radicalised and made extremists of people who might not have been radicalised or extreme. And if they were on the pathway, it's pretty much guaranteed… 'All terrorists will have a freedom fighter story. Bin Laden would have had a freedom fighter story. We might think it's crap. We might think it's self-justification but he will have had a story about liberating his lands from the great invaders.' He also said it did not mean a terrorist threat should dictate foreign policy. Mr Basu said the 'shocking act' divided society. He said: 'When terrorists hide behind a religion to commit an atrocity, people blame every follower of the religion and the religion itself. We ought to stop doing that. 'That causes a fear and suspicion of people who don't look like you, think like you, eat like you, worship like you. That has got worse, not better, and that has been caused exactly as terrorists want, by dividing a society by committing the shocking act.' Terror attacks have 'interrupted a trajectory of tolerance', he added. Mr Basu said: 'That's what I think has been most soul-destroying… It has interrupted a trajectory of tolerance that I was becoming very familiar and happy with… 'It started with 9/11… 7/7 accelerated that in this country. The relationship between races is worse today, or as bad today as it was in the 70s and 80s. That period of tolerance is over, and feels very much over.'
The Guardian
06-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Iraq war ‘made extremists of people': ex-police terrorism chief looks back at 7/7
Foreign policy was a driver behind the 7 July 2005 attacks on London , with the atrocity leaving a 'soul-destroying' legacy of a rise in hate, a former head of counter-terrorism has said. Neil Basu said governments need to accept that foreign policy, such as Britain's stance on the Israel-Gaza war, can have a direct effect on domestic security. Accepting that link, he said, does not excuse violence but allows security professionals and the public to plan for any 'blowback'. The interview with the Guardian marked the 20th anniversary of the attacks on London's transport network and the arrival of the modern age of Islamist mass murder in Britain. Suicide bombers attacked three underground trains and a bus leaving 52 people dead and more than 750 injured. The shock was compounded when it was revealed that the atrocity was the work of British-born terrorists, supported by Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida. Basu was head of counter-terrorism until 2021 and said the current level of attack threat to the UK was higher than in 2005. Other sources confirm that grim assessment. Basu said the 7 July attacks contributed to a growth in suspicion of Muslims and damage to race relations that left people of colour fearful, reversing progress made since the 1980s. They also came two years after the UK, then with Tony Blair as prime minister, joined in the US invasion of Iraq, on the false pretext that it had weapons of mass destruction. Basu said: 'A driver of the 7/7 attacks was foreign policy and Iraq, that does not excuse in any way what they did. 'That foreign policy decision has radicalised and made extremists of people who might not have been radicalised or extreme. And if they were on the pathway, it's pretty much guaranteed … 'All terrorists will have a freedom fighter story. Bin Laden would have had a freedom fighter story. We might think it's crap. We might think it's self-justification, but he will have had a story about liberating his lands from the great invaders.' Basu said it does not mean a terrorist threat should dictate foreign policy but governments need to be honest that such decisions may mean 'you'll be less safe when you're at Westfield on a Saturday afternoon'. The 7 July ringleader was Mohammad Sidique Khan, a teaching assistant and community worker, who was married and a father, and had been to a terrorist training camp in Pakistan. In a suicide video after his death he attempted to justify the acts of murder by him and three others, claiming in a Yorkshire accent: 'We are at war and I am a soldier. Now you too will taste the reality of this situation.' Basu said: 'There is no one path for any single individual to go down a terrorist route. There's a multiplicity of paths, and one of them is: 'I'm right, you're wrong. Now that looks obscene to us … They are on God's side. We are on Satan's side.' He said the backlash against Muslims in Britain, a fraying of the social fabric and rise of extremism are what the terrorists would have hoped for: 'When terrorists hide behind a religion to commit an atrocity people blame every follower of the religion and the religion itself. We ought to stop doing that. 'That causes a fear and suspicion of people who don't look like you, think like you, eat like you, worship like you. That has got worse, not better, and that has been caused exactly as terrorists want, by dividing a society by committing the shocking act.' Progress in race relations, 'a trajectory of tolerance' since the 1980s, had reversed after devastating terrorist attacks. Basu said:'That's what I think has been most soul-destroying … It has interrupted a trajectory of tolerance that I was becoming very familiar and happy with…. 'It started with 9/11 … 7/7 accelerated that in this country. The relationship between races is worse today, or as bad today as it was in the 70s and 80s. That period of tolerance is over, and feels very much over.' All Muslims being tarred with suspicion after terror attacks had caused wider damage. Basu, who is mixed race, said: 'How can that not possibly have set in a lot of people who were undecided about whether they wanted a multicultural, racially integrated society? How is that going to affect them? In exactly the way the terrorists wanted. It was going to make them say, we don't want those people here. 'The zeitgeist has changed. If I as a 6ft, ex-police officer with quite a few skills and lots of mates and the ex-head of counter-terrorism feel more vulnerable today than I felt in pretty much most of my adult life, I think that there is a change.' Basu said greater societal resilience was needed and that over the past 20 years the extremes had fed off each other, with events such as last summer's riots part of a bitter legacy. He said: 'The ringleaders in those events who are causing the most anxiety you can trace way back to the 'war on terror'. You know where [Tommy] Robinson came from, where the EDL [English Defence League] came from … you can trace all the way back to being mobilised by these horrific terrorist acts. 'I look at the rise of extreme rightwing terrorism in this country … of rightwing racist attitudes towards black and brown people, and I look at the rise in hate crime reporting … and can't help but think we've got a vicious cycle that started when certain vicious groups started killing people on western soil. I think they were intending to do that, and they have succeeded.' Basu said that when the police focus had to shift to terrorism after 2005, attempts to stamp out prejudice in the ranks waned, following the inquiry into the Stephen Lawrence murder and police errors that left his killers free. He added:'Events like 7/7 in 2005 blew apart the whole post-Lawrence diversity agenda. It literally destroyed it.' Robert Quick, head of counter-terrorism between 2008-09 said the number of counter-terrorism operations he was overseeing was up to 100, with about 2,500 people of concern. Now that figure is 600 operations with many more people suspected of potential involvement and support for terrorism. Islamist attack plots dominate the work of counter-terrorism officials, followed by those from the far right and also those where there is no clear cause. In addition, there is now the threat from hostile states, mainly Iran and Russia.
Medscape
13-05-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Managing ANCA Vasculitis: Guideline ‘Transcends' Specialties
MANCHESTER, England — A soon-to-be-released guidance from the British Society for Rheumatology on the management of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)–associated vasculitis (AAV) emphasizes not only the need for more aggressive management but also the importance of cross-specialty services that can be accessed quickly throughout the United Kingdom. The revised recommendations are timely as they coincide with a National Health Service (NHS) England initiative that is looking at how to improve rheumatology services across the board generally through its Getting It Right First Time initiative. One of the first steps in this initiative for improving AAV services in particular has been to set up a national cohort of patients that can be tracked through the healthcare system to see what improvements are needed in order to optimize overall care and service outcomes. 'The management of vasculitis transcends specialty,' Neil Basu, MBChB, PhD, professor of musculoskeletal medicine and vasculitis at the University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, said in introducing the updated AAV guidelines, which he was a part of, at the British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) 2025 Annual Meeting. 'I think it's entirely appropriate, and great, that we have a nephrologist leading the way with our BSR guidelines.' Lorraine Harper, MBChB, PhD That nephrologist is Lorraine Harper, MBChB, PhD, a consultant and professor at the University of Birmingham, Birmingham, England, and chair of the multidisciplinary team of experts who have been involved in updating the guidance. Harper noted at the BSR session that it was high time that the recommendations for managing AAV in the United Kingdom were reprised: 'The 2014 guidelines really did significantly impact the way we managed patients with vasculitis, but there's a lot gone on since 2014, and it now doesn't reflect best practice.' Moreover, the previous guidance did not 'span the age range,' Harper said, a consideration that has now been included in the AAV guidance update, as well as many other BSR clinical guidelines that have been updated recently. In comments to Medscape Medical News , Chetan Mukhtyar, MD, PhD, a consultant rheumatologist for Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Norwich, England, who was not involved with creating the guidelines, said 'there are some emerging data that have now demonstrated what we have always known in vasculitis, that it is not something that should be taken lightly; it has significant immediate mortality, and it has long-term implications on resources. We need to get it right, quickly and first time, and the recommendations will help us get there, but the resource implications will need to be recognized by the wider NHS.' Building on Existing Evidence Members of the British AAV guideline working group consulted recent recommendations from other organizations, including that from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) published in 2021, the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) published last year, and the Kidney Disease: Improving Patient Outcomes (KDIGO) organization, also published in 2024. 'Although we used the BSR methodology, we did adapt a little bit, so we didn't do the literature search from 2014; where the area we're looking at was covered by EULAR, we used their literature search. So that we weren't just reinventing the wheel,' Harper said. To produce the guidance, 30 experts across the five specialties of rheumatology, nephrology, otolaryngology, respiratory medicine, and pediatrics formed five small working groups to look at specific topic areas. These were the treatment of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA); the treatment of subglottic stenosis and ear, nose, and throat (ENT) disease associated with GPA; the treatment of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA); service specification; and patient education and support. Key Update Examples The revised recommendations, which are expected to be published in early June, include a change to how immunosuppression should be used in the initial treatment of GPA and MPA, with a more aggressive approach than previously. 'Back in 2014, we recommended [intravenous] pulsed cyclophosphamide or rituximab for organ- or life-threatening disease. We've amended that now to suggest that all patients with active ANCA vasculitis should be considered for intravenous pulsed cyclophosphamide or rituximab,' Harper said. In addition, treatment with rituximab should be preferred for patients with relapsing disease. This aligns with the 2024 EULAR guidance but differs from the 2021 ACR guidance, she said. The revised British guidance states that methotrexate and mycophenolate mofetil 'may be considered' as alternatives for induction therapy for patients with active disease but without any evidence of life- or organ-threatening disease, but that cyclophosphamide and rituximab are preferred. 'Plasma exchange remains a contentious issue, and should we use it?' Harper asked. In the PEXIVAS trial, there was no difference seen in the combined outcome endpoint of death and end stage kidney disease. However, post hoc data suggest there could be earlier and fuller recovery of renal function with plasma exchange. Based on available data, the British recommendation 'takes a pragmatic view' to think about using plasma exchange only in adult patients with active GPA or MPA and severe renal involvement if they have a serum creatinine level > 300 mmol/L (3.4 mg/dL). The use of adjunctive plasma exchange needs to be carefully balanced against the risk for potential adverse events, Harper cautioned. And while its use in pediatrics should be limited to a case-by-case basis, plasma exchange does appear to have beneficial role in managing pulmonary hemorrhage, so long as there is no severe kidney involvement. Reducing Glucocorticoid Dependency With avacopan (Tavneos) now available, the recommendations are to use it in active GPA or MPA as a potential glucocorticoid-sparing agent; this could be given with or without a short course of steroids, Harper explained, with tapering taking place over a 4-week period. For patients with organ- or life-threatening disease, the recommendation is to use oral steroids at a starting dose of 50-75 mg, or 1.0 mg/kg/d; dosing is dependent on weight, Harper said, with the maximum daily recommended dose at 75 mg. Oral prednisolone should be tapered in accordance with the schedule used in the PEXIVAS trial, with the aim to get the dose down to 5 mg prednisolone equivalent per day by 4-5 months. And if the disease is considered neither organ- nor life-threatening, lower steroid-tapering regimens can be considered, starting at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg/d, and tapering according to the schedule used in the LoVAS clinical trial. For maintenance therapy, Harper reported that the updated recommendation was to use rituximab in preference to other agents, using a fixed dosing regimen of 500-1000 mg every 4-6 months. Such treatment should be continued for at least 2-4 years. This was 'a big change' from the 2014 guidance, but again follows ACR, EULAR, and KDIGO guidance. 'Limited GPA' a Misnomer 'We want to get away from using the term 'limited,' when it comes to talking about GPA-related ENT disease because it underestimates the disease burden,' Harper said. Instead, 'ENT-localized' or 'sino-nasal GPA' would be preferred. ENT involvement is where multidisciplinary assessment is particularly vital, Harper said. If there is a plan for reconstructive surgery, the patient needs to be in remission for at least 12 months 'otherwise high failure and complication rates are observed,' she said. Recommendation Updates for EGPA The presence of asthma, particularly if it is adult-onset, remains important for making an EGPA diagnosis. Asthma combined with chronic rhinosinusitis with or without nasal polyps, eosinophilia (typically ≥ 1.5 × 109/L), and end-organ involvement would be considered indicative of having EGPA. Harper acknowledged that because of EGPA's heterogeneous clinical phenotype, a specialized multidisciplinary approach is necessary to exclude other eosinophilic syndromes. For initial treatment, it is recommended that all patients with active disease are assessed for their suitability for induction treatment with glucocorticoids combined with other immunomodulatory agents. Harper noted that the recommended first-line option is intravenous pulsed cyclophosphamide, but if it is contraindicated or unacceptable to the patient, rituximab would be the next choice. As for newer treatments, the anti–interleukin-5–directed therapies mepolizumab and benralizumab were recommended for induction and maintenance of remission, but only in people with nonorgan– or nonlife–threatening disease, Harper said. This is because the recommendation is based on the findings of the MIRRA and MANDARA trials, which excluded patients with more serious disease. Thus, the current recommendation is only to use these drugs in the same population of patients as had been studied in the trials, Harper said. Service Recommendations One of the unique aspects of the guideline update is its detailing of how vasculitis services in the United Kingdom should ideally be set up, and not just based on expert opinion. Rosemary J. Hollick This is the first time that specific, patient-led service recommendations have been included in BSR guidelines, or indeed any vasculitis guidelines, said Rosemary J. Hollick, MBChB, PhD, a senior clinical lecturer and rheumatologist at the University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland, and the clinical lead for the Scottish Systemic Vasculitis Managed Clinical Network. The recommendations are based on findings from the Versus Arthritis–funded Vasculitis Outcomes In relation to Care Experience Study (VOICES), which looked at the key components of the best possible service and linked them to patient outcomes. Prompt Specialist Review A key recommendation is that people with newly suspected AAV should have a specialist vasculitis review within 7 days. This is backed up by data from VOICES, which showed prompt review to be associated with a 30% reduction in serious infections, a 22% drop in emergency hospital admissions, and a 41% reduction in deaths, Hollick noted. 'Vasculitis has been long overlooked,' Basu told Medscape Medical News in an interview. 'I think we finally have some excellent tools to improve outcomes dramatically, but the challenge is accessing these tools.' It is important for clinicians, particularly if they are not specialists, to be able to get the support they need to diagnose patients 'really promptly,' Basu added. Thus, the other key service recommendation in the guideline focuses on how to give that support to clinicians, such as in caring for patients in dedicated, 'cohorted' vasculitis clinics that include nurse-led components of care and regular specialist multidisciplinary team meetings. Data from the VOICES study have suggested that both nurse-led and cohorted clinics result in significant reductions in both serious infections (35% and 25%, respectively) and emergency hospital admissions (25% and 19%, respectively). A further recommendation is that people with AAV should feel empowered in shared decision-making and collaborate with their healthcare team to make joint decisions about their care. There are many tools already out there to help explain what shared decision-making should look like to patients, Hollick said. VOICES was funded by Versus Arthritis . Basu and Harper reported no relevant financial relationships. Hollick had received funding unrelated to her presentation from CSL Vifor. Mukhtyar was not involved in the guideline development.
