WP : Britain Seeks Extradition Of Suspect in Terror Plot

Britain Seeks Extradition Of Suspect in Terror Plot

by Kevin Sullivan | Washington Post Foreign Service | August 29, 2006

LONDON, Aug. 28 -- British officials on Monday asked Pakistan to extradite a British man whom officials in Pakistan have described as a central figure in an alleged plot to blow up jetliners flying from Britain to the United States.

Rashid Rauf, 25, is being sought in connection with a 2002 killing, according to a spokesman for Britain's Home Office. Rauf moved to Pakistan shortly after his uncle, Mohammed Saeed, 54, was stabbed to death in Birmingham in April of that year, according to British media reports.

Home Office officials declined to say whether the extradition request was related to the bomb plot, which allegedly involved plans to sneak liquid explosives onto jetliners and detonate them on board. So far, British police have arrested 25 people in the investigation, which began with raids on numerous homes on the night of Aug. 9. Twelve people have been charged with terrorism-related offenses, eight more are being held while police continue to investigate and question them, and five have been released without charge, police said.

Rauf's younger brother, Tayib, 22, of Birmingham, was among those arrested in England. But he was released without charge, according to British media reports. British police have released little information about the investigation, including the names of those released without charge or still not formally charged.

The Rauf family, which runs a bakery in Birmingham, is also connected to Crescent Relief, an Islamic charity group that is under investigation by British officials. British media have reported that the Rauf's father, Abdul Rauf, 54, established the organization in 2000 and that it was involved in raising money for victims of last year's earthquake in Pakistan. The Charity Commission, which oversees British charities, last week announced that it had frozen Crescent Relief's bank accounts while it investigated whether the group was involved in the bomb plot or any other illegal activities.