Guardian : Father of airline attack suspects is held in Pakistan

Father of airline attack suspects is held in Pakistan

Audrey Gillan and Vikram Dodd | Monday August 21, 2006 | The Guardian

The father of Rashid Rauf, the first suspect arrested over the alleged terror plot to blow up airliners, has been arrested himself in Pakistan as he tried to board a flight home to Birmingham.

Abdul Rauf, the 52-year-old owner of a large bakery business in the city, is being questioned by Pakistani security services over his involvement with a charity he helped found. Mr Rauf stepped down from his role in 2003 but Crescent Relief, based in east London, is currently being looked at by the Charity Commission following claims that the Pakistan earthquake appeal may be a potential link between some of the suspects arrested over the alleged conspiracy to attack planes leaving the UK for America.

Two of Mr Rauf's sons have been arrested as part of the bombing inquiry. Rashid Rauf, 25, was detained in Bahawalpur in the Punjab, triggering arrests in London, Birmingham and High Wycombe less than 24 hours later. His brother, Tayib Rauf, 22, is one of the 23 suspects arrested by British police.

Officials are confident charges will be brought against a number of those held, possibly running into double figures.

Meanwhile, a leading Muslim academic yesterday told an 8,000-strong audience in Manchester that it was "just" to die for your beliefs. Azzam Tamimi, a Palestinian living in the UK, told the ExpoIslam conference Hamas was not a terrorist group. It is banned in the UK.

"The greatest act of martyrdom is standing up for what is true and just. Martyrs are those who stand up in defiance of George Bush and Tony Blair. You say desist. Stop this injustice. Stop this oppression. We are Muslims in Europe, not European Muslims. Being fair and just means finding the middle path. We must just have confidence in ourselves. Just stand up and defend what is right," he said.