BRITAIN: The British government's terror watchdog has warned of a small number of secret societies in some British universities which are "radicalising" young Muslim men.
Lord Carlile of Berriew told members of the all-party Home Affairs Select Committee that "impressionable young men" were also being targeted in prisons and young offenders institutions.
And while he would be surprised if there were more than 20 imams like Abu Hamza operating in Britain, Lord Carlile said: "My worry is that they are in places such as cities and custodial institutions where there are larger numbers than elsewhere of impressionable young men."
Following Hamza's conviction last week for inciting murder and racial hatred, Lord Carlile stressed the role of many "wonderful imams" across the country, while confirming fears that not enough had been done in the past to check the credentials of those arriving in the UK from abroad.
Voicing specific concern about extremist influences in the world of higher education, the Liberal Democrat peer said: "If you talk particularly to young female students in the larger, more rackety universities, there is a degree of concern expressed about some societies in these universities where women are excluded and where there might be radicalisation."
Earlier this week Chancellor Gordon Brown reopened the question of allowing police to hold terror suspects for up to 90 days. With the MPs investigating the case made for 90 days, Lord Carlile told them yesterday of one instance where eight suspects were not prosecuted because police had not had sufficient time to gather evidence.
Lord Carlile also urged the government to reveal more about the nature of the terrorist threat facing the UK. He acknowledged that public confidence in the security and intelligence agencies had been damaged by the presentation of the case for the Iraq war.