Torture: Britain has a “ticking bomb” situation
Sat June 30th, 2007 11:45 MSTWhat if interrogation of a captured terrorist could prevent an imminent attack? What if the terrorist refuses to talk? In the debate on torture, this is called the “ticking bomb” scenario.
Proponents of torture raise this hypothetical as the extreme case where torture is clearly justified. Opponents claim the situation is just that: extreme and hypothetical.
Today, Britain has two terrorists in custody who just attempted an attack at the Glasgow Airport. The timing and similarity to yesterday’s London attempts strongly suggest a coordinated conspiracy, with high likelihood of imminent additional attacks. These are likely to kill many innocent people, in spite of the terrorists’ incompetence so far.
The “ticking bomb” scenario is no longer hypothetical. It is happening now.
How far should the British be ready to go in today’s interrogations?
[Update 1240 MST] Britain has declared a “critical” alert level - meaning attack is imminent.