Islamist Terrorists Will Deploy Mentally Unstable as Suicide Bombers

The enemies of Western civilizaton will sink to the lowest depths of evil, the bottomless pit of nihilist carnage, to destroy the institutions of a decent society.

The Times of London reports that jihadis in Britain have started to recruit the mentally ill as suicide bombers for attacks on British cities (via Memeorandum):

Islamic terrorists may be targeting mentally disturbed or disabled people in Britain in a bid to form a new “brigade” of home-grown suicide bombers, security officials fear.

MI5 and police say the case of Nicky Reilly, who is being held over a nailbomb attack last week in Exeter, may indicate a new strategy of targeting vulnerable people with mental health problems to carry out attacks.

A counterterrorism official said MI5 was investigating the extent to which Reilly had been manipulated by a “charismatic” Al-Qaeda recruiter.

“It is a grotesque concept but they are using people who are clearly mentally subnormal,” the official said. “We know they have clever radicalisers who will take advantage of anyone they think they can manipulate, whether they have an IQ of 60 or 140,” he said.

Reilly, 22, is a Muslim convert who has spent time detained in a mental health hospital. He has been described as a shambling introvert with the mental age of a 10-year-old. He is believed to have Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism, and may also suffer from schizophrenia.

Security officials say Al-Qaeda appears to have exported the tactic from Iraq, where disabled “foot soldiers” have been used to devastating effect.

They point to a case in February when a suicide bomber in a wheelchair killed an Iraqi general in Samarra, north of Baghdad. Earlier, two women, initially thought to have Down’s syndrome, acted as couriers for a bomb in Baghdad, killing almost 100 people.

Officials say people with mental disabilities are not only easier to manipulate but also less likely to arouse suspicion. If they are white Muslim converts, they are even less likely to be noticed.

Al Qaeda's earlier shift to recruiting the sick and disabled has been applauded by far left-wing bloggers looking for an American defeat in Iraq.

If anyone sees a defense of the London jihadis recruitment practices among those in the leftosphere, please send me an e-mail with the information.

For more perspective on our fight, see Tony Blair, "A Battle for Global Values."