The term has been used in a number of publications, including The New York Times,[1] Vanity Fair,[2] The Weekly Standard,[3] and in the 2006 book Londonistan: How Britain is Creating a Terror State Within.
[4] According to Omar Nasiri: The mid- to late 1990s were the years when Britain's capital earned the sobriquet of "Londonistan," a title provided by French officials infuriated at the growing presence of Islamist radicals in London and the failure of British authorities to do anything about it.
[...] Raids in France and Belgium had produced phone and fax numbers linked to the United Kingdom, and names of suspects were passed on.
[6] According to critics, the UK's "deep tradition of civil liberties and protection of political activists" led to the country becoming "a crossroads for would-be terrorists" for a decade after the mid-1990s.
The Islamists used London "as a home base" to "raise money, recruit members and draw inspiration from the militant messages.