British security services clearly reacted swiftly and firmly to question those suspected of involvement.
It is deeply shocking to see so many of these are young men educated in our schools, some with jobs, some married, yet so rejecting our culture and way of life that they seem prepared to commit such atrocities. I fear there may also be Britons fighting our troops alongside the Taleban in Afghanistan with similar motives.
It has been revealing to witness the American reaction to these events. There remains a deep-seated sense of horror at what happened in New York almost five years ago on 9/11. I met a man over the weekend who lost friends in that outrage. He showed a dogged determination that this form of political statement through terror has to be stopped. This determination seems widely shared across the US.
I support the Government and security services in taking the necessary steps to deal with the immediate threat. I hope the Government will heed calls to set up a counter-terrorism minister, as they did in the US following 9/11, as well as establish a dedicated border police with effective immigration controls.
But I also hope we can develop practical measures to bring those who are so disaffected within communities in Britain into the mainstream, so that terrorist acts revolt them as much as they do us.
I also hope that next week I shall be writing safely from Shropshire.
