Lexington-Herald Leader : Court orders British suspect freed

Court orders British suspect freed

Sadaqat Jan | AP | NOvember 15, 2007

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan ordered the release Thursday of a Briton suspected in an alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic jetliners, his lawyer said.

The court in Rawalpindi ordered the release of Rashid Rauf, a British Muslim of Pakistani origin, after the prosecution withdrew the case against him, attorney Hashmat Habib said. The lawyer said Rauf is likely to be deported to Britain.

A court official confirmed the lawyer's account. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the case.

Pakistani police arrested Rauf in August 2006 on a tip from British authorities and have described him as a key suspect in an alleged plot to blow up jetliners flying from Britain to the United States. The purported plot prompted a major security alert at airports and increased restrictions on carry-on items.

Rauf had been charged in Pakistan with possessing chemicals that could be used in making explosives and with carrying forged travel documents.

Habib said he had already filed a petition with a higher court seeking an order to block Rauf's deportation.

Britain had asked Pakistan to extradite Rauf in connection with a 2002 murder inquiry in Britain that is separate from the alleged terrorism plot.