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India-Pakistan

7/7 suspects jailed for terror camp plans

2009-04-30

Two men cleared of helping to plot the 7/7 bombings were jailed for seven years on Wednesday, for planning to attend terrorism-training camps in Pakistan. Mohammed Shakil, Waheed Ali, and Sadeer Saleem, were found not guilty of helping the London bombers to scout potential targets in the capital after a retrial at Kingston Crown Court on Tuesday. But they were convicted of a second charge of conspiracy, for attending a place used for terrorist training. "In my view, the police wanted somebody, anybody, to pay for the murder of 52 people," Saleem said in a statement after the verdict.

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Britain

In Britain, three acquitted of some transit bombing charges

2009-04-28

Reporting from London -- Three men accused of helping suicide bombers who killed 52 people in a 2005 attack on London's transportation system were acquitted today of the most serious charges they faced, a second defeat for prosecutors in the case. The jury found Waheed Ali, Mohammed Shakil and Sadeer Saleem not guilty of carrying out a reconnaissance mission to help the four bombers who boarded three subway trains and a bus with homemade explosives July 7, 2005. Ali and Shakil were convicted of conspiring to attend a terrorist training camp in Pakistan, a lesser charge, and were scheduled to be sentenced tWednesday. The verdicts ended a three-month retrial of the men, whose previous proceedings last year resulted in a hung jury. The three defendants have been the only people charged so far in the attacks. Under British double jeopardy laws, any further trial of the same defendants would have to be based on new evidence, said a spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service, adding that it was "technically possible but very rare." Commenting in the Times of London, Andy Hayman, assistant commissioner for London's Metropolitan Police from 2005 to 2007, wrote that the trial "probably represents the last throw of the dice for the police investigation in 7/7. It is frustrating . . . knowing that people who aided and abetted the murders of 52 innocent people remain at large." The accused, Britons of Pakistani origin who come from the Beeston area of Leeds in northern England, all admitted to being friends of the four men who carried out the bombings, but they denied charges of conspiracy to cause an explosion. They were accused of scouting the capital for possible targets with two of the four bombers on a trip to London in December 2004. The jury was shown homemade videos and heard evidence from secretly recorded conversations that showed the accused were close friends of the four bombers: Mohamed Sidique Khan, Shahzad Tanweer, Hasib Hussain, and Germaine Lindsay. Ali, 25, and Shakil, 32, were arrested at Manchester airport in 2007. They were about to board a plane for Pakistan where, according to prosecutors, they planned to attend a terrorist training camp. However, the prosecution failed to provide convincing enough evidence for the jury to convict Ali, Shakil, and the 28-year-old Saleem of conspiracy to cause explosions.

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Britain

Three men who 'helped July 7 bombers' on trial

2009-01-20

Three men went on trial on Monday accused of helping bombers prepare the deadly July 7, 2005 suicide bombings with a reconnaissance mission in London. Prosecutors say Waheed Ali (25), Sadeer Saleem (28) and Muhammad Shakil 32, spent two days in the city where they visited tourist attractions including the Natural History Museum, the London Eye and the London Aquarium. Kingston Crown Court was told the trip was 'an important first step' in the plot to detonate bombs in Britain, the Press Association reported. The trio, from Beeston, Leeds, deny one charge of conspiring with Sidique Khan, Shezhad Tanweer, Jermaine Lindsay and Hasib Hussain to cause explosions. The four young terrorists killed 52 people and injured hundreds more when they set off bombs on three underground trains and a bus. Ali and Shakil also deny a second charge of conspiracy to attend a place used for terrorist training. It is alleged they were planning a trip to Pakistan to attend a training camp when they were arrested in March 2007.Prosecutor Neil Flewitt told a jury hearing at a retrial of the men, that they were not accused of making or transporting the bombs used in the July-7 attacks. "However, it is the prosecution case that the defendants associated with and shared the beliefs and objectives of the London bombers and so were willing to assist them in one particular and important aspect of their preparation for the London bombings," he said. He said on December 16, 2004, the defendants travelled from Leeds with one of the bombers, Hussain, to London where over a period of two days they conducted a reconnaissance of potential targets. Once there, they also met Lindsay. "It is not the prosecution case that, at the time of the trip to London, the conspirators had made a final decision about the method of attack, the targets to be attacked or even the date of the attack," Flewitt said. "However, it is the prosecution case that the London visit was an important first step in what was, by then, a settled plan to cause explosions in the UK." He told the jury that the three defendants admitted making the trip, but for family and tourism reasons. "Moreover, although the defendants all accept that they knew the London bombers, it is their case that their friendship was innocent and that they knew nothing of, and took no part in, their plan to cause explosions in the UK," Flewitt said. Ali and Shakil also did not dispute that they were intending to travel to Pakistan in 2007 but denied it was related to terrorism, he said.

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Britain

7/7 Jury Fails To Reach Verdict

2008-08-01

Waheed Ali, Sadeer Saleem and Mohammed Shakil visited the London Eye, the Natural History Museum and the London Aquarium while allegedly pinpointing potential targets during the trip seven months before the 2005 atrocity. The trio, from Beeston, Leeds, stood trial charged with conspiring with the four bombers and others unknown to cause explosions between November 17, 2004 and July 8, 2005. But following the three month trial at Kingston Crown Court, a jury of eight women and four men could not decide on their verdicts and have been discharged. The jury had been told that Ali, 25, Saleem, 28, and Shakil, 32, visited places on December 16 and 17, 2004, which bore a "striking similarity" to spots where the bombs were detonated. Detailed 'cell site analysis' of mobile phone use, including calls to the London Tourist Board and various attractions, allowed the group's movements across London to be mapped. The three defendants admitted making the visit but claimed it was an entirely innocent "social outing" and the purpose was for Ali to visit his sister. They told the jury they used the opportunity to see some of the capital's landmarks at the same time. All three defendants made no secret in court of their support for jihad and defending Muslim lands. But they claimed they did not advocate suicide bombings and had no idea about the July 7 plot.

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Britain

7/7 bomber's farewell video shown

2008-04-25

A home video of London suicide bomber Mohammad Siddique Khan bidding goodbye to his baby daughter has been shown to a jury at Kingston Crown Court. The video was shown in the prosecution of three men alleged to have helped find bombing targets in the capital. Waheed Ali, Sadeer Saleem and Mohammed Shakil deny helping the bombers months before the attacks on 7 July 2005. In the November 2004 video, Siddique Khan tells his daughter that he "has to do this thing for our future". The jury at Kingston Crown Court was told that in late 2004 Siddique Khan and fellow suicide bomber Shehzad Tanweer flew to Pakistan. Prosecutors say that the leader of the bombers expected to die fighting jihad - but there was an unexpected change of plan while abroad which led to their return and the London bombings the following summer. In the weeks before their departure, Siddique Khan recorded a number of home videos featuring his six-month-old daughter. Neil Flewitt QC, prosecuting, said the videos included a lot of "cooing over the baby" typical of any doting parents. In one, shot two days before the departure, Siddique Khan can be seen cradling his baby daughter in his arms. She is wearing a baby-suit and is jiggling on his knee. The bomber is slightly off-camera for most of the recording as the lens is focused on the girl. His voice can be heard clearly and he frequently breaks off from speaking to kiss her. He is heard saying: "Sweetheart, not long to go now and I'm going to really, really miss you a lot. I'm thinking about it already. "Look, I absolutely love you to bits and you have been the happiest thing in my life. You and your mum, absolutely brilliant. I don't know what else to say. I just wish I could have been part of your life, especially these growing up... these next months, they're really special with you learning to walk and things. "I just so much wanted to be with you but I have to do this for our future and it will be for the best, Inshallah [God willing] in the long run. "That's the most important thing. You make plenty of dua [prayers] for you guys and you've got loads of people to look after you and keep an eye on you. But most importantly I entrust you to Allah and let Allah take care of you. And I'm doing what I'm doing for the sake of Islam, not, you know, it's not for materialistic or worldly benefits." Mr Flewitt told the jury the video had come to light shortly after the bombings. Hasina Patel, Siddique Khan's widow, had handed some tapes to a friend in late 2004. At 1845 on 8 July, the day after the bombings, she handed more material to the same friend. On 13 July the friend handed them over to the police. 'Uncles' video In another video, recorded in October 2004, Khan introduces his daughter to "her uncles", Waheed Ali and 7 July bombers Shehzad Tanweer and Hasib Hussain. The men are relaxing in the lounge at a house with a television on in the background. Siddique Khan calls Tanweer Uncle "Kaki". Mr Ali, sitting on the floor next to Hussain, gets up and kisses his own bicep in a jokey manner. The jury were told of further footage to be played later which includes Hasina Patel. Mr Flewitt told the court that Ms Patel says: "There are two minutes left so say your piece." Khan is said to reply: "My little sweetheart I love you lots and lots. You are my little baby with big fat little feet. Remember me in your Duas, I will certainly remember you, and, inshallah, things will work out for the best. Look after your mother, she needs looking after. Be strong, learn to fight - fighting is good. Be mummy's best friend. Take care of mummy - you can both do things together like fighting and stuff."

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Britain

3 men charged over scouting 7/7 targets

2008-04-11

The first three men to be charged in connection with the July 7, 2005 London suicide bombings appeared in court on Thursday, accused of scouting for targets. Seven months before the bombings, two of them visited the London Eye, the Natural History Museum and the London Aquarium, prosecutors alleged. Muhammad Shakil, 31, Sadeer Saleem, 27, and Waheed Ali, 24, all shared common beliefs with the bombers, who committed “appalling acts of terrorism” on the British capital, Kingston Crown Court in Surrey was told. The bombers, Muhammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Jermaine Lindsay and Hasib Hussain, killed 52 people in co-ordinated morning rush hour attacks on three underground trains and a bus. He said that in December 2004 the group travelled to London where they undertook a reconnaissance of potential targets over two days. They travelled with one of the bombers, Hussain, and later met up with another, Lindsay, but later denied it was a sinister trip. “Rather it is their case that the purpose of their journey was to enable Waheed Ali to visit his sister in east London,” he told the court. “Further, Sadeer Saleem and Muhammad Shakil accept that they visited the Natural History Museum, the London Eye and the London Aquarium, but maintain that they did so for purely social reasons.” Flewitt said the locations the group visited “bore a striking similarity” to the targets three of the bombers later identified during a hostile reconnaissance two weeks before the bombings. Flewitt said the group admitted they knew the bombers but maintained their friendship was innocent and that they did not know about the plans to bomb the capital.

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Britain

3 men plead innocence over 7/7 London bombing

2007-08-11

Three men accused of conspiring with suicide bombers who killed 52 commuters on the London transport system in 2005 pleaded not guilty during a court hearing on Friday. Mohammed Shakil, 31, Sadeer Saleem, 27 and Waheed Ali, 24, are accused of conspiring to cause explosions on London's transport network or at tourist attractions in London "of a nature likely to endanger life or cause serious injury." The men appeared at London's Central Criminal Court by video link from prison for the pretrial hearing. Four bombers and 52 commuters died in the attacks on July 7, 2005, when bombs carried in knapsacks exploded on three subway trains and a double-decker bus. The three suspects are all from the Beeston area of Leeds, in northern England, which was home to several of the bombers. Two of the men were arrested on March 22 as they prepared to fly to Pakistan from Manchester Airport. The third was detained in Leeds the same day.

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Britain

Britain: 7 July Bomber's Widow Is Among Four Arrested

2007-05-10

The 7 July 2005 London suicide bombings ringleader Mohammad Sidique Khan's widow, Hasina Patel, 29, is among four people arrested on Wednesday in connection with the attacks, police have announced. Her brother Ashad Patel, 30, a second man, Khalid Khaliq, 34, were arrested together with Patel in northern England. A fourth man, Imran Motala, 22, also said to be related to Patel, was arrested in the central English city of Birmingham. They are being held and questioned on suspicion of the commission, preparation, or instigation of acts of terrorism under Britain's Terrorism Act 2000. Khan, who worked as a mentor at a local primary school in Dewsbury near the northern city of Leeds, was one of four young British Muslims who carried out coordinated suicide bombings of 7 July, killing 52 commuters (as well as the four bombers) on three London underground trains and a bus. Patel lives with others in a two-storey mid-terrace house on Dale Street, Thornhill Lees, Dewsbury. A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said two houses were being searched in Dewsbury, two in Beeston, south Leeds, and one in Batley. Forensic teams are searching a property in the Handsworth area of Birmingham, in Leonard Road, and police are guarding a block of student flats in Selly Oak. A police lorry removed a silver Peugeot 307 from nearby flat and a car was also removed from the Handsworth address. Last month the first people to be charged in connection with the bombings appeared at the Old Bailey in central London. Mohammed Shakil, 30, Sadeer Saleem, 26, and Waheed Ali, 23, of Beeston, Leeds, are accused of conspiring with the four bombers to cause explosions. Metropolitan police said the drawnout inquiry into the London bombings remained a "painstaking investigation."

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Britain

Three charged over London bombings

2007-04-05

THREE suspects have been charged over the July 7, 2005, suicide bombings in London which killed 52 commuters, in the first indictments since the horrific attacks. The men - identified as Waheed Ali, Sadeer Saleem and Mohammed Shakil - were involved in the “reconnaissance and planning” of the attacks, in which four bombers blew themselves up on underground trains and a bus, police said. “I appreciate that bringing these charges will have an impact on many people,” said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, head of Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism squad. “For some it will bring back horrible memories of that terrible day. "For others there may be some relief that after such a length of time there is some visible progress in an investigation that has had to be kept secret.” Their arrests last month were the first major detentions since the bombings, in which near-simultaneous blasts caused devastation on the London transport system during the morning rush-hour. The three were charged that between November 1 and June 29, 2005, “they unlawfully and maliciously conspired ... to cause explosions on the Transport for London system and/or tourist attractions in London,” prosecutors added. The four suicide bombers - three of them Britons of Pakistani origin and one a naturalised Jamaican - died when they set off rucksack bombs on three Underground trains and a double-decker bus. The attack also injured more than 700 in what was the worst terrorist atrocity on British soil and the first such suicide attack in Europe. The bombings were followed exactly two weeks later by an apparent copycat attack which failed. Six men are currently on trial for that alleged attempt. The three suspects charged Thursday were detained on March 22 under the Terrorism Act 2000. At the time police said detectives had been investigating at home and abroad since the July 7 bombings, which prompted soul-searching about the extent of Muslim integration in British society. The suspected ringleader of the bombings, Mohamed Sidique Khan, and fellow bomber Shehzad Tanweer said in videos recorded before their deaths that British foreign policy, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan, motivated their actions. The Metropolitan Police said last month that they had always been keen to determine whether anyone else helped Khan, Tanweer, plus fellow bombers Hasib Hussain and Jermaine Lindsay. A May 11, 2006 report by the British Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee said that Khan and Tanweer were “likely” to have had contact with Al-Qaeda members while visiting Pakistan. A theory that a terrorist mastermind fled Britain shortly before the bombings was discounted. In addition, there was no intelligence to indicate there was a fourth or fifth bomber, the committee said.

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