GulfNews : Plot Suspects Will Not Face Trial Before 2008

Plot suspects will not face trial before 2008

AP | September 6, 2006 (UAE)

London: Suspects alleged to have plotted to bomb US-bound airliners will not be brought to trial before 2008 as officials sift through evidence from across the world, prosecutors said.

The delay will keep key details of the case secret for almost two years.

Though normally tightlipped, British detectives have broken with tradition to reveal some evidence, their brief statements have done little to illuminate an initial warning from London's Metropolitan Police that it had foiled a plan to commit murder on an unimaginable scale.

Lawyers and intelligence experts agree that delays in bringing terror cases to trial are inevitable given the complexity of the evidence and global scale of inquiries but say withholding information for prolonged periods could dent the public's trust in the police and government.

The repercussions of keeping a suspect in high-security custody only to have them later found innocent could also be grave, lawyers warn.

Eight men accused of conspiracy to commit murder and preparing to commit terrorism over the alleged aircraft plot appeared in court on Monday and were told by a prosecutor they are unlikely to face trial until 2008. Prosecutor Colin Gibbs told London's Central Criminal Court there would be no trial before January 2008, and it would most likely be around Easter which falls on March 23 that year.

Tanvir Hussain, 25; Umar Islam, 28; Arafat Khan, 25; Ahmed Abdullah Ali, 25; Ibrahim Savant, 25; Waheed Zaman, 22; Assad Ali Sarwar, 26; and Adam Khatib, 19, all appeared by video link from prison.

None of the eight applied for bail during the brief hearing. They were ordered to be returned to custody pending a hearing on September 18.

Recent converts

Many of the men held in connection with a suspected terror training school are Muslim converts, reports Evening Standard.

At least five of the 14 arrested at the weekend are believed to have converted to the religion in recent years.

Police were yesterday continuing to question the men after being given more time to detain them.

Those being held include a key aide of jailed hate preacher Abu Hamza.

Abu Abdullah, 42, was arrested moments after leaving a Chinese restaurant in Borough. His brother Musa Ahmet is also reported to have been detained.