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2008 Campaign
Family Security Matters does not stand behind or endorse any candidate for president (or any other public office). However, as the President is also Commander-in-Chief and is responsible for setting national security policy, we will be publishing a variety of articles on both the Republican and Democrat candidates for President during this election year. As always, the opinions of our Contributing Editors are their own, and do not necessarily reflect those of Family Security Matters.
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May 22, 2008
Exclusive: UK: Exeter Bomber Was Muslim Convert
Around 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 22nd, an explosion took place in a restaurant in Exeter in Devon, in Britain's West Country. Only one person was injured in the blast, and this now appears to have been the bomber himself. The restaurant was the Giraffe restaurant, one of a chain of 22 outlets, and it is located in Princesshay Shopping Center in the heart of the cathedral town.
Later, police announced that they had arrested a man, and also two controlled explosions took place in the toilets at the restaurant. The man was named as 22-year-old Nicky Reilly, who has a history of mental illness. A police statement later in the evening suggested that Reilly, who had become a Muslim convert, had been "preyed upon and radicalized" by Muslim extremists.
The man had detonated his bomb in the toilets, and according to an eyewitness it appeared that chunks of his face were missing. Officially he has facial injuries and a "lacerated eye." Reilly is in hospital under a police guard. After the explosion, the man had refused to leave the toilet, leading to the cubicle door being broken down.
15 other people had been in the restaurant when the explosion took place. One eyewitness said he heard one loud bang followed by two smaller ones. It appears that the bomb that exploded was a nail bomb.
Exeter is a quiet city with low numbers of immigrants, and has a famous cathedral. The University of Exeter does have Muslim students, and it is possible that those who "radicalized" Reilly may have come from the university. This is only a supposition.
Currently, a team from Scotland Yard's anti-terror unit has arrived in Exeter to provide support to the local police. A team of Royal Navy bomb disposal officers patrolled the city center, carrying out searches. Many roads leading to the city center were closed throughout the afternoon.
News available from: Daily Mail, BBC, Evening Standard, Times, Reuters via the Independent, Mirror, Channel 4 News, Mid Devon Star, BBC (2), Exmouth Herald, Devon 24, Bloomberg and AFP.
