'UNBELIEVABLE': Army major reflects on UK's handling of suspected terror plot

A LEGITIMATE THREAT. SANDRA. >> Sandra: STEPHANIE BENNETT. WITH THAT FOR US. THANK YOU. JOHN. >> John: LET'S DIG DEEPER ON. THIS BY BRINGING IN RETIRED ARMY. MAJOR GENERAL JAMES SPIDER MARKS. FOUNDER OF THE MARKS. COLLABORATIVE AND GENERAL HAS. SPENT ABOUT 15 YEARS SINCE YOU. AND I GOT TOGETHER. >> GREAT TO SEE YOU. >> John: GREAT TO SEE YOU. THANK YOU FOR COMING BY. HERE'S THE AP ON THE IRAN. CONNECTION WITH THE PLOT AT RAF. FAIRFORD AND WHETHER OR NOT THIS. IS UNUSUAL. THE HEAD OF MI5 SAYS IRAN IS. TRYING TO HIT MILITARY SITES IN. THE U.K. AND THE SUSPECTED PLOT. TO ATTACK U.S. MILITARY AIRBASE. IN SEPTEMBER IS NOT UNIQUE.

TEHRAN IS SEEKING TO INTENSIFY. ITS ATTACKS IN BRITAIN BEYOND. THE TRADITIONAL TARGETS OF IRAN. AS OPPOSED TO THE ISLAMIC. AUTHORITIES. ANOTHER MAJOR SHIFT THIS YEAR. HAS BEEN IRANIAN AMBITIONS TO. COMMIT HARDER TARGETS LIKE. MILITARY SITES. IT APPEARS THAT MIGHT BE WHAT'S. AT PLAY HERE. THE THING I CAN'T CANNOT WRAP MY. HEAD AROUND IS THE FACT THAT. THEY LET ALL THESE GUYS OUT ON. BAIL. >> THAT'S UNBELIEVABLE FRANKLY. BUT WHAT WE ARE SEEING IS WHAT. THE IRGC AND WHAT THE TERRORIST.

ORGANIZATIONS, THEIR PROXIES DO. AS A MATTER OF ROUTINE. SO IT'S NOT UNUSUAL TO SEE THEM. EXERCISE OR REHEARSE. CAPABILITIES WHERE THEY HAVE A. PRESENCE AND GREAT BRITAIN, 6%. OF THE POPULATION, LET'S BE. FRANK. 6% OF THE POPULATION IS MUSLIM. CONSIDERABLY LARGE POPULATION SO. WITHIN THAT POOL YOU CAN RECRUIT. THOSE THAT ARE VULNERABLE. SO THEY WILL GO AFTER THEY ARE. BROUGHT IN AND THEY'VE GOT THE. CAPABILITIES, THERE WILL BE A. TARGETING PROCESS WHICH INCLUDES. IDENTIFYING TARGETS AND.

IDENTIFYING WHAT'S KNOWN AS SOFT. TARGETS FIRST. AND WHAT ARE THEIR. VULNERABILITIES? WHAT CAN BE DONE? IF YOU ACHIEVE SUCCESS, YOU. REFINE THE TACTICS, TECHNIQUES, AND PROCEDURES YOU MOVE UP THE. LADDER AND GO AFTER HIGH VALUE. TARGETS WHICH IS WHAT WE SAW AT. FAIRFORD. >> John: THIS IS NOT CONFINED. TO THE U.K. THERE IS AN AWFUL LOT OF IRANIAN. NATIONALISTS IN THIS COUNTRY WHO. ARE SYMPATHETIC TO THE REGIME. >> ABSOLUTELY. THAT IS IN FACT THE TRUTH. SO THE KEY TO GETTING INSIDE OF. ALL THAT AND GETTING AHEAD OF IT.

IS INTELLIGENCE EXCHANGE. CERTAINLY THE UNITED STATES HAS. A FIVE EYES PROGRAM WHICH YOU'RE. INTIMATE WITH. UNITED STATES, U.K., CANADA. DESPITE WHAT WE SAY ABOUT. CANADA, CANADA IS PART OF IT, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND. THERE'S OPEN SHARING BUT THERE'S. ALWAYS SOME QUALIFIERS. I THINK ALSO THEY DO A GOOD JOB. IN TERMS OF THOSE WHO, THOSE. INDIVIDUAL NATIONS WITH WHOM WE. HAVE GREAT INTELLIGENCE SHARING. ISRAEL IS FOREMOST AND REALLY. THE STANDARD BEARER AND ALL OF. THAT.

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, THE U.S. AND THE GERMAN, THEY ARE QUITE. EFFECTIVE. THERE'S GREAT SHARING SO YOU CAN. GET AHEAD OF IT. WITH THE U.K. THAT'S WHAT WE. SAW. >> John: WE MAY HAVE SOME. IRANIAN OPERATIVES IN THE U.K. WHO KNOWS IF WE'VE GOT THEM HERE. IN THE UNITED STATES, PROBABLY. THEN YOU HAVE THE IRANIAN. PROXIES LIKE HEZBOLLAH, HAMAS, THE HOUTHIS. HERE'S WHAT THE HOUTHIS SAID IN. RESPONSE TO SAUDI ARABIA. LAUNCHING ATTACKS AGAINST HOUTHI.

PROPERTIES IN YEMEN. >> THOSE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE. KILLING OF CIVILIANS ARE SAUDI. AUTHORITIES AND AIRLINES WHO. HAVE NOT RESPONDED. MILITARY OPERATIONS WILL. CONTINUE UNTIL ALL SAUDI OIL. FACILITIES ARE DESTROYED. IF SAUDI ARABIA DOES NOT RESPOND. TO THE PEACE DEMANDS OF ENDING. THE WAR AND ENDING THE SIEGE. >> John: YOU'RE SAYING AT THE. TOP THAT THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE. FOR THE KILLINGS OF THE PEOPLE. IN THE SAUDI ARABIAN AIRPORTS, 14 IN TOTAL, THE SAUDIS. THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE.

THEY ARE NOT THE ONES WHO FIRED. THE MISSILES BUT THE HOUTHIS. THINK THEY ARE THE BIG DOG IN. THE BLOCK AND THEY'RE GOING TO. KEEP GOING AGAINST THE SAUDI. ARABIANS UNTIL SOMEONE CRUSHES. THEM. >> TRUE. THE SAUDIS HAVE BEEN AT THIS. SINCE ABOUT 2015. THE DECADE PLUS OF EXPERIENCE, THERE'S BEEN AN INTERREGNUM. UNTIL THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. THE SAUDIS KNOW THEY'VE GOT A. TOUGH TARGET GOING AFTER THE. HOUTHIS. THE HOUTHIS POPULATE ABOUT WHERE. 70% OF THE POPULATION IN YEMEN,

THEY CONTROL THAT. IT'S A SIGNIFICANT HOLD ON A. SIGNIFICANT PART OF YEMEN. >> John: THEY ARE PRETTY. MILITARILY CAPABLE. >> VERY CAPABLE. THEY'VE GOTTEN TREMENDOUS. SUPPORT FROM THE IRGC AND. TEHRAN. THAT'S BEEN CUT OFF A LITTLE BIT. BECAUSE OF WHAT'S TAKING PLACE. WITH THE EPIC FURY BUT THERE ARE. ENOUGH STOCKPILES. AND THE CAPABILITIES THE HOUTHIS. BRING TO BEAR IS AS WE'VE. INDICATED QUITE SIGNIFICANT. BUT THE SAUDI BACKED YEMENI. GOVERNMENT AND THE SAUDIS NOW. ARE TAKING ON THE FIGHT AGAINST. THE HOUTHIS CARRIED BUT IT NEEDS.

TO BE AN ALL IN FIGHT. I THINK THERE'S A BIT OF. HESITANCE ON THE PART OF THE. SAUDIS KNOWING FROM THE SCAR. TISSUE THEY HAD FROM BEFORE HOW. DIFFICULT THAT FIGHT IS. >> John: I DON'T THINK TRUMP. IS GOING TO THROW INTO IT WITH. THEM UNTIL AFTER THE MIDTERMS. >> I THINK THE IRANIANS WOULD. LOVE IT IF WE GOT MORE INVOLVED. BECAUSE THAT CHAOS WORKS. DIRECTLY TO THEIR LONG TERM. PLAN. >> John: I THINK THEY ARE. DOING EVERYTHING T.