Troubled World

By Steve Horner

The book is set in 2025, post Brexit with some problems lingering on including border controls in Ireland, the continuing refugee crisis in Europe and the fallout from the UK potentially losing part of the long standing armament contract with Saudi Arabia.
Against this background, two terrorist groups are being monitored by MI6. The first group is Europe against Globalisation and Capitalism (EGC) and the second, Irish Sunni Support (ISS).
EGC learn of the latest EU initiative to deal with the refugee issue. EGC decides this is an ideal time to further inflame the relationship between citizens in the host countries, and those in refugee camps. MI6 agent, John Holden learns of this plan and efforts are made through European security services to restrict the impact of the planned action, with varied success in the different locations. This results in Greece deciding to leave the EU, with Spain and Italy considering this option unless more is done to provide a lasting solution.
The Saudi Arabian contact, Omar El-Hashem, being used by the Americans to win parts of the armaments contract, is controlling the activities of ISS and others around the world to initiate terrorist acts. Omar is a hard-line Sunni Muslim, opposed to the changes taking place in Saudi Arabia, determined they must be reversed. His plans include targeting bomb action on religious buildings in various countries, with the object of laying blame firmly on Iran and Shia Muslims. The principle bomb maker is Alex Jennings, who is also charged with the attempt on a UK target, assisted by ISS. Lucy Robertson is the MI6 agent embedded in ISS but is unable to prevent the attack in the UK. The other attacks around the world are also successful.
Although Ireland has adopted a policy of complying with UK requests for assistance with border controls post Brexit, the issues revealed by investigation around the actions of ISS, reignite a call for a united Ireland. This is eventually accepted by the British government, although there is some terrorist action to resist this.
The American companies bidding for parts of the Saudi armament contract suffer minor sabotage, which can be traced to Antifa action, in collaboration with EGC. These difficulties are overcome, they win the contract, enabling Omar to divert some of the weapons to ISIS and Al Qaeda, for attacks against Shia groups in Syria and Yemen. These backfire as the weapons have been sabotaged.
This leads to Omar initiating action through Jennings against those he considers responsible.
Both the UN and EU are persuaded that more must be done to solve the various armed disputes around the world, more aid given to the deprived areas of the world and, action taken to restrict the need for people to seek refuge in another country, for whatever reason.
The demands made to achieve these ends, particularly within the EU, lead some to conclude it’s the start of the breakup of the EU; which is another story.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steve Horner
• Release date: Jul 19, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370610747

Steve Horner

Following retirement in 2014, Steve Horner rediscovered a typed copy of a book he'd written 40 years earlier, when commuting to London on a daily basis. With more time available, the book Goodbye Jeremy, was retyped into Word, reread and edited on and off over the next 3 years. Having made this effort, self-publishing provided the means to make the book available to family, friends and a wider audience who might be interested. Writing is an enjoyable activity, particularly over the winter months, so another book will be completed soon. The new book is not a continuation of the theme of Goodbye Jeremy, but will again be in the thriller/action genre - Troubled World.

Book preview

Troubled World

Steve Horner

Copyright – Steve Horner 2018

The right of Steve Horner to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Design and Patents Act, 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author.

This publication is a work of fiction. All characters are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Activities undertaken by organisations described in this publication are fictitious, and do not imply any such activity would be undertaken by the organisations named.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favourite authorized retailer. Thank you for your support

With thanks to Sue Williams for her editing assistance.

Steve Horner also wrote, Goodbye Jeremy.

Jeremy Palmer is found dead in the River Thames. The police investigation results in a suicide verdict. Stuart Clay, a friend of Jeremy's, believes this unlikely and starts his own investigation. This leads him into the murky world of drug dealing and distribution, endangering both his and his girlfriend's life.

Website: www.stevehorner.co.uk

Contents

Chapter 1 - Introduction

Chapter 2 - The Main Players

Chapter 3 - The Threat

Chapter 4 - The Next Two Weeks

Chapter 5 - Europe under Attack

Chapter 6 - The Immediate Consequences

Chapter 7 - The Immediate Aftermath

Chapter 8 - The Consequences

Chapter 9 - The Arms Contract is Underway

Chapter 10 - Where does It End?

Appendix - Aide Memoire

Chapter 1

Introduction

Cobra Meeting, Whitehall, London.

There were days, and this was most definitely one of them, when Sarah Crosby wondered why she had worked and fought so hard to become Prime Minister. The election campaign in May 2022 had been gruelling. All she wanted to do afterwards was take a long, relaxing holiday, instead it was straight into the day job. Brexit had gone as well as could be expected, although many detailed implementation points lingered on.

Now, well into her third year of government, the economy was recovering well, with new trade deals proving effective. Each day, she reminded herself of this, to give her strength to deal with the many problems that crossed her desk, this day had more than its fair share.

‘Perhaps…’ Maximillian Murray hesitated, as everyone in the room expected. Those who knew him were familiar with this tactic, allowing the pause to give greater effect to what would follow.

Others assumed it was merely the trait of a man nearing retirement, thinking this should come sooner rather than later. As head of MI6 for more than 20 years this would be a natural assumption, but his mental prowess was as good as it had ever been.

Max had no intention of retiring. His formidable foresight, understanding and knowledge of the murky world of spies and secrets, was recognised and respected by senior members of the international security community, whether friend or potential foe.

‘Come on Max, no need for the amateur dramatics, tell us what you know.’ Sarah Crosby urged, trying to move things along, conscious of her congested, under prioritised, diary.

‘Of course, Prime Minister. The situation is, as ever, complex,’ Max continued. ‘I believe there is an ulterior motive behind the Saudi’s six-month extension of their armament contract with UK’s major defence company, British Development Industries. We know there have been extensive negotiations around renewal, which is to be expected, and periods of silence from our friends in Saudi Arabia are not unusual, indeed all part of trying to drive the terms in their favour. However, this may mask some subtle changes among the main players. There is little doubt that the popular support enjoyed by King Khalid Bousaid and his extended family is changing. Historically, there has been limited challenge to decisions they have taken, including defence contracts. Any opposition usually takes place behind closed doors. The House of Saud is conscious of the need to change, to create a more equal and open society. The continuing high level of unemployment amongst the younger generation, limitations on the role of women in society and, of course, corruption, demonstrate the need to change. This is happening, albeit more slowly than the international community would wish or even expect. However, there is a significant hard core who are opposed to change, driven by their fundamentalist religious beliefs. One of those known to be against change, is Omar El-Hashem who continues to gain influence in some crucial areas of Saudi policy.’

‘But this isn’t new Max,’ interjected the Foreign Secretary, Colin Taylor, ‘We’ve been aware of Omar El-Hashem’s rising star for some time now.’

‘Indeed Colin, and we are also aware of his links with the remnants of ISIL, Al Qaeda and other Muslim terrorist organisations around the world. These continue to pursue an extremist dogma, imposing a harsh Sunni regime in various parts of the world. Information coming to light, albeit tenuously, indicates he is trying to gain control of the negotiating process on the armaments contract and, through this, allocate some of the latest hardware and software components to his terrorist friends.’

‘How far advanced are we with this line of interpretation Max, has this got legs or is it embryonic in your mind only?’ Sarah Crosby wanted to know.

‘I confess I’m on my own here, the Americans are blinded by the possibility of their getting a large share of the contract. They are encouraging their largest defence and IT security companies to collaborate, to an extent not seen for some time. This would build on the successes they’ve been having over the last 15 years or so, gaining more defence work from Saudi Arabia. The Soviets are proving as hard as ever to interpret, whilst gaining support and influence in the Middle East undoubtedly remains a major strategic objective. China is worried, the threat of terrorism at home is a major driver of any action or indeed inaction they contemplate. Nearer to home, for the first time since Brexit, I sense European colleagues are on board to consider this option, as they and we remain high on the list of terrorist targets.’

‘Thank you, Max, that explains your hesitancy in accepting the Saudi contract is proceeding as expected, subject to the usual negotiating tactics. We’ll leave this in your capable hands to keep us informed of any significant developments. I want to move on to the next item - progress on improving cyber security. Home Secretary perhaps you’d summarise the position on this one?’

Sebastian Penn looked up from his pile of papers and the summary on his tablet.

‘Of course, Prime Minister. Not entirely unexpected, but ever since we announced the plan to significantly improve cyber security in the UK, there has been a series of attempts by hackers to prove why we need it. In some ways these have been useful, testing changes and finding flaws, but it has frustrated efforts to get ahead and demonstrate real progress. It’s also fair to say, in addition to the usual hacker community in the West, the more determined attacks can be traced back to the Middle East, with terrorist links playing their part. The role of Russia in state sponsored hacking remains significant. We estimate Russia has installed malware in around 75% of British companies’ data systems, and we discover more as the cyber security project continues. Fortunately, we are finding more of these before they are triggered and cause major problems. But as you are well aware, some high profile breaches still surface, causing disruption to the business affected, and all too often a high cost to rectify. China continues to interrogate systems to gather information on the latest patents being filed, and we are not the only country suffering from this plague. The Chinese state is on board to eliminate these attacks, which is a significant step towards reducing their impact on counterfeit goods. On a positive note, we should recognise that the increasing activity of terrorist groups is beginning to bring the major powers together, as they are not immune from attacks. It does seem they are more willing to share intelligence through the auspices of the UN Security Council. This is not the ideal vehicle to achieve quick wins, nevertheless any change in co-operation is to be welcomed. Another area of difficulty is the need to engage with major technology users, including the banking industry and major public bodies such as the NHS, as their need to maintain secure systems remains as vital as ever. Yet sharing techniques with these organisations is both helpful and, a potential weakness. Overall progress is encouraging but as ever with IT, frustratingly slow and costlier than planned.’

‘How much more?’ snapped Sarah Crosby.

‘We started with an initial budget of £2bn and a timescale of 3 years. Latest view is at least 5 years and a doubling of the budget. If it’s any consolation, we understand any organisation trying to improve matters in this vital area experience similar issues, even Microsoft, Apple and Alphabet.’

‘It’s little consolation, but as a renowned economist is alleged to have said something to the effect, when events change I change my mind. Chancellor please take this forward with colleagues in Treasury and report accordingly at our next meeting. Now to the last item – level of national security alert. Do we move from severe to critical? Max your view?’

‘My recommendation is to stay at severe, Sarah. Although, I acknowledge there are several factors which justify increasing to critical, most of which we have discussed today. With increasing tension in Europe and continuing instability in the Middle East, if we move to critical, I think we will have to explain why in some detail. Until some of what I have reported today becomes clearer, that would reveal too much of where we are in judging in which direction things are most likely to move. I realise my world is one of secrets, although we are far more open than we have been in the past, while yours is one of ensuring the public are kept informed, as you are always open to challenge. Meeting this requirement should not be lost sight of, however, I consider a change in level is not helpful to anyone right now.’

‘Any dissenters……. No, then I declare the meeting closed. Max and Seb would you hang on for a bit as I’ve a few other items where your views would be helpful?’

Mobile phones were switched on as the meeting closed, blocking out the sound of papers being shredded. Staff quickly cleared the room, leaving the three alone.

‘I may have rushed the agenda a little, being aware of my diary commitments today, this has carved out some time for you to give me pointers on items which may arise later. Firstly, Saudi Arabia Max. I have a call with Paul Wilson scheduled for 2pm our time, so want your view on how much to disclose to the President of the US on your thinking around the current political position.’

‘I was expecting this fairly soon and have given it some thought Sarah. My soundings with US intelligence reveal a surprising but somewhat blinkered view of what is happening in Saudi Arabia. I don’t think they’ve considered the possibility that House of Saud maybe under real threat in some crucial areas of policy, including defence. Despite their arms contract successes in recent years, they continue to view our armament arrangements with some envy. Consequently, they have a somewhat relaxed view on the support the Saudis have given to various disputes and outright wars in their locality. I thought the Saudis recent antagonism towards Israel, and hardly concealed support for Hamas, would give the Americans some concern over recent changes in the regime. This doesn’t seem to have happened, at least if it has, I haven’t detected it. So, I believe it is appropriate for you, on a one to one basis with the President, to raise alternative scenarios around the continuing contract negotiations. Even if all this does is raise a small query in his mind, it should prove useful if things develop in the direction I believe they will’

‘Helpful as always Max. Now how much have you shared this with other security organisations in the UK - MI5 and the anti-terrorism branch of the Police?’

‘As I said during the meeting, I’m not finding much international support for my views and so have hesitated to widen the circle for now. I have regular meetings with Tony Boyd, head of MI5, and Ian Jackson, current head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, where we operate on an open book basis.’

‘So, you haven’t shared your view.’ Sebastian Penn made this a statement not a question.

‘Not yet, my view, and I believe theirs, is to share when information is meaningful and warrants action. I don’t consider I’m at that stage.’

‘I support this position for now Seb. Although we must keep a watchful eye on Max’s secretive nature,’ Sarah paused to see if Max reacted. He remained passive, ‘to ensure this doesn’t remain on the back boiler too long, then boil over into something we lose control of.’

‘Very good Sarah, although I’m not entirely happy with this approach.’

‘Understood Seb, but I ask that you maintain confidentiality on this, until we all agree it’s time to widen the audience. Next, I want to discuss immigration and border control. I appreciate this was a major item on our agenda, concentrating on the issues arising from our extended extraction from the freedom of movement obligations, as part of the Brexit trading negotiations. In so doing, we did not devote enough time to the continuing migration and refugee problems in Europe. Of course, the Cobra meetings are not designed to deal with matters so politically based as this one, however the impact on security cannot be ignored, and I believe this will only increase. The changes in government, particularly Germany and France, are a major blow to Europe ever uniting on how to deal with this issue. We have participated fully with our European colleagues and indeed the UN on various initiatives, yet more borders are closing and international solutions to the driving forces behind migration, remain elusive. Since before, and even more so after Brexit, security of our borders is a priority in terms of maintaining political stability and safety for our citizens. We acknowledge we do not face the same problems as those proximate to the areas of migration. Being an island is beneficial as a deterrent to mass migration. Still, it continues to cause unrest in many areas of Europe, providing opportunities for the seeds of terrorism to spread. I remain to be convinced we have addressed this adequately, particularly access through Ireland.’

‘May I clarify Sarah, are we only discussing this topic in the context of access by terrorists, or the much wider issues of border control?’ asked Seb Penn, prickling at the possible criticism of the way he ran the Home Office. ‘Because if it’s the latter, you’re welcome to attend the next meeting of my department, where the latest position, current problems etc. are discussed at length, to agree any actions required and ensure continual improvement.’

‘Thank you for that Seb, it’s the terrorist side of this I want us to concentrate on at present. Max have you anything to contribute to this?’

‘As you say Prime Minister we did spend time on this at Cobra, the consensus was that actions outlined, and the current crop of arrests, does demonstrate systems and controls have been improved and are effective. Nevertheless, I too have concerns about access though Ireland. We are grateful for the work Taoiseach, Seamus O’Gara has done to establish UK border controls in Irish ports and airports, by no means easily achieved. One consequence of this, which was discussed at length in the Irish parliament, concerned the likelihood of increasing nationalism because of the UK being perceived as having gained control over some aspects of Irish governance, leading to new calls for Irish unification. It was, therefore, a brave decision by Seamus to implement the border policy in accordance with our specific requests. Unfortunately, we are identifying more activity in known republican organisations, as well as some new groups. One worrying trend we are beginning to identify, is these new groups facilitating terrorists from international organisations entering Ireland, and assisting their onward passage to the UK, for purposes we are all too familiar with.’

‘And how are we proposing to progress this?’ The Home Secretary intervened. ‘If we don’t approach this with great tact and caution there will be even more accusations of Britain interfering with Irish affairs. A strong possibility of making matters worse rather than better!’

‘Quite so, therefore, the approach adopted at present is infiltration of certain organisations with the tacit agreement of O’Gara and top-level security personnel only.’ Max replied.

‘Good grief, we’re going back over fifty years with this approach, is there no other way?’

‘I do understand your concern Seb, but we need more information on what is happening on the ground. Currently we have two senior agents in place, working with Irish security on a need to know basis. I don’t see any alternative until we have made further progress. Do we have your permission to continue Prime Minister?’

‘Yes. Thank you, gentlemen.’

Seb remained seated, glowering as Max gathered his papers and made for the door.

Chapter 2

The Main Players

Headquarters of Consolidated Industries, US Armaments Contractor, Detroit, USA.

Conrad Schulz, CEO of Consolidated Industries rose to speak. ‘I’m pleased to welcome Suma Klein, CEO of Cyber Security Systems and his senior team to the meeting today. You’ve all received papers covering the topics we need to resolve. We have worked with each other over the last couple of years or so, therefore introductions aren’t necessary. We are at the final stages of agreeing our bid to the Saudi Arabian government, for a major part of the armaments contract the Brits have had for years, without us getting a look in. I gather, with some affirmation from the Pentagon, that our contact, Omar El-Hashem, is reliable and assurances he has provided give confidence that these aspects of the contract should be awarded to our joint bid. Jeb Stone, Head of Contracts will expand on where we are on the armaments side.’

Jeb Stone stood to make his PowerPoint presentation. ‘El-Hashem has guided us to concentrate on three areas:

Firstly, mobile ground to air missiles, with all the latest lock-on technology. Consolidated Industries are at the forefront of this, guided by Pentagon requirements. We know the Brits have been trying to ride on our coat tails, just to keep up to speed. As always, their technical developments are of the highest level, but suffer from lack of scale in implementation. This aspect has been crucial to get us ahead of the game.

Secondly, heavily armoured all-terrain vehicles. From involvement in Iraq, Afghanistan etc. we have learned a lot in this area – too heavy, mobility and quick response is hampered; too light, and it’s an easy target and not a good place to be in a firefight.

Lastly, but perhaps the most important of all, personal protection has become increasingly light weight, yet more effective. Through technological advances, it now provides warnings against IEDs, without the need to sweep before advancing. This, while game changing, is subject to constant updates as the nature and types of IEDs continues to grow. We are grateful to input from Cyber Security Systems to be at the forefront of this.

Naturally the usual array of aircraft, tanks, training and technology support remain an important part of the contract. El-Hashem advises the Brits are likely to retain these aspects of the contract as the systems, personnel and support are so embedded in bases within Saudi.’

‘Thanks Jeb, now let’s move on to technology, Suma.’

‘Cyber security remains an important part of all countries’ defence systems. We are the major contractor to the Pentagon in this area, and the contract allows us to share technology with countries on the approved list, on normal commercial terms. Some of the most recent political manoeuvring, coupled with increasing conflicts, mean countries on the approved list continue to shrink, to ensure national security isn’t compromised. The penalties for none compliance are too great to contemplate inclusion in any contract, whatever its value. Saudi Arabia are on the approved list at present, through the defence contracts the US already have, coupled with the actions the regime has been taking to make it a more open society. However, this can be changed at short notice. El-Hashem’s team are well aware of this, and constantly remind us they expect the contract to be fulfilled on current terms, regardless of any change in status. This worries my colleagues, particularly as our negotiations all take place with his team only, we are not talking to the same negotiators as the Brits. We need some assurance this isn’t a means to extract as much information as possible through the negotiations, and then we end up with nothing.’

‘I share that concern.’ Jeb added, ‘are we sure we’re talking to the right guys and this won’t all end in a pile of poo?’

Conrad Schulz responded to this challenge. ‘Throughout our work on this contract we have kept a line open with the Pentagon, through Don Newman, Head of National Defence Procurement, whose role covers all contracts of this nature with foreign states. He assures us El-Hashem has a rising role in Saudi. The value of dealing through him, if we are successful, will enhance his position and give us contacts at the top table, which only the Brits and French have. So, it’s a risk, if his status fades before we conclude the contract. This is a situation we’ve been in before, running with one player or specific group; it’s always a game of win some lose some, and I intend to win this one. One other thing you may be concerned about, which Don assures me is not a problem, this is not a return to the bad old days of Saudi contracting where the local contact expects and gets a big commission. Those days are gone, as part of the recent modernisation of the regime.

Now let’s get down to fine tuning the outstanding points on the bid, as we have four weeks to submission.’

Taoiseach office, Dublin, Ireland

‘I’m not liking what you’re telling me Terry.’ Seamus O’Gara looked and was worried, very worried. ‘That’s the third new faction your security team has identified in the last six months, is there no end to this?’

Terry Driscoll, Head of National Security Intelligence Section (NSIS) replied. ‘I’m concerned alright Seamus but we’re not alone. It’s all part of a global trend we’ve been seeing since Brexit, coupled with the move to the right in major governments in Europe, primarily Germany and France. These changes, and increasing dissatisfaction around the perceived impacts of globalisation, are certainly part of what’s driving this. As a result, we have new organisations jumping on this bandwagon, some with seriously disruptive ambitions. We have two, in particular, under close scrutiny at the moment. We know they have some links to ISIS and/or Al Qaeda, so it’s fortunate we continue to work closely with the UK and have agents in place in both, dangerous work, but we’ve been here before.’

‘Been here before maybe, but that is not encouraging Terry. Both the UK and us went through a lot of pain before we achieved some stability. When the international perspective is added, it’s certainly not a direction I would like us to be heading towards, particularly with some of the loose cannons these organisations tend to attract.’

‘Agreed, but you know as well as I do, it will take time to identify appropriate action and probably even longer to implement it and see a result. We are getting information from the agents and feedback from GCHQ on the organisations’ communications, both show something we have to keep tabs on. It appears communication with ISIS has been increasing and the UK remains high on the hit list. Max Murray hasn’t said as much, but I detect he’s very concerned about some of the new faces making a grab for power in Saudi Arabia, as the regime changes to a more open society. Particularly those who perhaps are not as supportive of this as they wish to appear. Max is a wily old bird, and keeps his cards close to his chest, so if he’s concerned, it’s worth sitting up and paying attention. The two agents he’s released to us, John Holden and Lucy Robertson, are people we’ve worked with before. You may remember Lucy was the main reason we squashed the assassination attempt on you, following your forcing through major revisions to management of EU border controls. This was requested by Sarah Crosby’s government, and wily old Max gave us a couple of agents to suss out any repercussions from our more militant organisations. Lucy’s intel proved invaluable and, most importantly, kept that attempt away from the media.’

‘Glad you acknowledge avoiding my assassination is marginally more important than keeping the media out of it, although not sure some members of the Parliament would agree with you. Some days I feel I’m regarded as a traitor, and that’s not just by the republican groups! But, let’s consider more urgent things than my premature demise. What do we have that helps bring some comfort?’

‘Well, the group John Holden is concentrating on is associated with the rising influence of Germany’s resurrected Red Army Faction, as the prime co-ordinator of terrorist action in Europe. They seem to have achieved success in finding common ground with like-minded groups in virtually every European country. No doubt the remnants of the Red Brigade in Italy and other extreme left wing organisations have aided this new group’s rising prominence. The driver here appears to be the lack of progress in dealing with the migrant crisis and, the impact of globalisation on the poorest in society. They’ve given themselves the grand name of Europe against Globalisation and Capitalism (EGC). Gather MI6 have an agent in this organisation, reporting to John Holden. Probably won’t bother us too much, but good to have Max’s confidence.

The other group is a real odd-ball; they’ve adopted the name Irish Sunni Support (ISS). From what we’ve gleaned, the local membership is all Irish and not a Muslim among them. Lucy Robertson has infiltrated this group, but so far nothing on what, if anything, they plan to do. We know ISIS are keen to get involved in the attacks on refugee accommodation, as they perceive it provides a large enough group of non-believers to eliminate in one hit. These are primarily located in mainland Europe, therefore of limited threat to us