Is London the terror capital of the West?

Britain has now emerged as the "terror capital of the West" as whenever a major terrorist attack is attempted, suspicion swings on this country, a media report said on Sunday.

"It comes as no surprise to learn that the Nigerian accused of blowing up the US airliner is said to have been living. We have become the number one source of terrorism in the Western world. We shelter foreign jihadis, and even grow our own.

"For years now, Islamic extremists wanted on terror charges in their own country have taken sanctuary in Britain. Our judges (not our politicians) say it would be cruel to send them back to their own countries, in case they're tortured," the 'News of the World' quoted the Editor of Spectacle, Fraser Nelson, as saying.

Years ago, the CIA had a name for it: "Londonistan". And 23-year-old Umar Abdul Mutallab, who allegedly attempted to blow up a US airliner, may have been a part of it, he said.

"As we focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan, al Qaeda starts to change its tactics, hoping to blindside us. This is the risk we all live with. The war on terror, or should I say the terrorists' war on us, is still all too real.

"Abdul Mutallab may well have been a paid-up member of al Qaeda (with a short pension plan). Or just a wannabe.

"But it is typical of al Qaeda to strike on Christmas day, aiming to kill as many Christians as they can. Yet again, a deadly airline plot failed. It's a chilling reminder of the threat very much still in our midst," he wrote in the British tabloid.