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 law. The kind of fiasco that took place with the search in Forest Gate, east London, cannot be allowed to happen again.
Then there is the task of identifying those who recruited, backed and trained the suspects - a knotty problem still unresolved in the case of last year's July 7 attack.
Almost nothing is known about who mentored and trained the London suicide bombers. Penetrating the support network has proved difficult to impossible. There are now strong suspicions that some white converts may be among the ranks of Britain's militant Muslims, making the security services' task even more complex.
"The Muslim community itself must be prepared to deal with the extremists," said a government adviser yesterday.
The government should consider streamlining its anti-terrorist structures - a network of committees |
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| Government must streamline its anti-terror structures – too much power lies with ministers |
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and fiefdoms where too much authority and autonomy lies with the Prime Minister (left), his deputy and the Home Secretary and the heads of MI5 and MI6. Demands will grow for there to be a full-time counter-terrorist coordinator at the head of a new special operations command.
Above all, it is the method - the new carry-on liquid bomb - revealed in the current investigation that will bring the biggest change. It is an innovation as great as the first use of Semtex. Odourless and almost colourless, Semtex was a gift to the terrorist and required a hugely expensive step-change in counter-terrorism methods.
Passengers will have to learn to travel with almost no hand baggage. It could mean the end of duty-free liquor and perfumes. Already, the terrorists may have scored a partial success by striking a blow against western consumerism. 
FIRST
POSTED AUGUST 11, 2006
 Flying will never be the same
Newsdesk: today's top stories
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