British police arrested nine men suspected of plotting a gruesome terrorist attack in Birmingham, England, on January 31. The Iraqi-style abduction plot involved kidnapping a British Muslim soldier and videotaping his subsequent beheading. This marks the second major terrorist plot in Britain foiled in recent months. While these busts are a credit to the effectiveness of Britain’s counterterrorism agencies, they also demonstrate grim realities for Britain.

First, it is clear that homegrown terrorists are bent on spreading terror in Britain. Only six months ago, British and Pakistani authorities broke up a plot for terrorists to wreak destruction on 10 transatlantic flights leaving London. Before that was the July 7, 2005, multiple suicide bombing in which 52 Londoners were killed. That same month an attempted follow-up bombing resulted in the arrests of six men.

This latest plot also shows that some terrorists are ditching large-scale operations to avoid detection. There was no need for the suspects to acquire weapons or explosive devices. The only thing the terrorists needed to complete their task, besides a knife and a video camera, was a “hit list” of British Muslim soldiers and a date. Still, had the plot succeeded, it would have been disastrous for Britain. As Stratfor reported, “Despite the simplicity, a gruesome attack of this nature would be as effective—perhaps even more so—as a subway or airplane bombing in spreading fear among the British population. If the plotters were successful, and the tactic were adopted by other cells, the discovery of headless bodies at seemingly random locations around the country could easily lead to mass hysteria” (January 31).

Finally, though the plot did fail, it will likely help polarize British society further. According to Agence France Presse on February 2, tensions have risen in Birmingham. While British police distributed 5,000 leaflets insisting Muslims weren’t being unfairly targeted, the chairman of Birmingham Central Mosque compared Britain’s anti-terror raid to Nazi Germany telling the German people the Jews were a threat. Although he encouraged Muslims to remain calm, his comments served to further alienate Muslims and encourage their radicalization—which, as Stratfor noted, is one of the Islamist terrorists’ goals in the UK.

For more information on growing tension within British society, read “The Sickness in Britain’s Heart.”