Dawn : Rashid Rauf’s brother freed by UK police

Rashid Rauf’s brother freed by UK police

Dawn | August 24, 2006

LONDON, Aug 24: British police investigating a suspected plot to blow up transatlantic airliners freed two suspects on Wednesday and obtained permission to continue questioning nine others.

Police had charged 11 people on Tuesday in the suspected plot and had been holding 11 others pending a decision on whether to charge them.

They did not name the men they freed on Wednesday, but Sky News reported that one was Tayib Rauf of Birmingham, Britain’s second city. His brother Rashid Rauf has been arrested in Pakistan.

Police later said they had obtained a judge’s permission to continue questioning eight of the additional suspects for a further week, and one for 24 more hours.

Under new anti-terrorism powers that came into force last month, police can hold suspects without charge for up to 28 days, but must seek a judge’s permission every seven days.

British police announced on Aug 10 they had thwarted the plot to blow up airliners over the Atlantic by smuggling liquid explosives onto flights, after overnight raids in Birmingham, London and a town west of the capital.

Those charged on Tuesday include eight British Muslims accused of conspiracy to murder, a 17-year-old accused of having items useful to terrorists and two others, including the only woman still held, accused of failing to report the plot.

Police gave the first description of their evidence in the case on Tuesday, saying they had found bomb-making materials, suicide notes and “martyrdom videos” — an apparent reference to the last testaments of suicide bombers.—Reuters