The Observer : Top British terror suspect escapes

Top British terror suspect escapes

Jamie Doward, home affairs editor | The Observer | December 16, 2007

The alleged British terrorist mastermind behind a plot to simultaneously blow up at least 10 transatlantic airliners in an atrocity that had the potential to dwarf 11 September was on the run last night.

One of Britain's most wanted men slipped his handcuffs and fled after appearing at a court in Islamabad, Pakistan, where his lawyers were protesting against requests for his extradition. Last night two policemen were being questioned about the incident.

Rashid Rauf's escape now threatens to spark a major diplomatic row by reigniting questions about why Pakistan's authorities had not approved his extradition, despite repeated requests from Britain dating back more than a year. Britain has been at pains to claim that Pakistan's President, Pervez Musharraf, is a key ally in targeting Islamist terrorism and someone who has played a vital role in sharing information between the countries' intelligence communities. But the fact Rauf was able to escape so easily will raise questions about the security status given to him by the Pakistani authorities.

It is also likely to inflame relations with the US. The Observer understands the CIA was preparing to 'render' Rauf when details of the alleged airliner plot emerged in August 2006. Alarmed at the US's attempts to grab Rauf, Britain's intelligence services, who had been monitoring the plot, swooped, arresting more than 20 suspects in the largest security operation of its kind.

Now the news that Rauf is at large threatens tensions between the UK and US authorities who believed their transatlantic counterparts should have moved to pick up the alleged plot's ringleaders far earlier.

Rauf is alleged to have played a key role in presiding over an audacious plot to detonate explosions on 10, possibly more, transatlantic jumbo jets in August 2006. But though picked up by the Pakistan intelligence service, the ISI, before the plot had been made public, Rauf was not extradited to Britain. The Observer understands from senior figures in the security service that they were becoming very frustrated at Pakistan's reluctance to hand over Rauf.

One senior intelligence source told The Observer that the airliner plot could have resulted in more fatalities than 9/11. The source said if successful, it would have seriously damaged the two allies' close relationship. 'Can you imagine what it would have done to relations between the two countries if British citizens had ended up killing hundreds of Americans?' the source asked.

Rauf, who denies any connection with the terrorist plot, was held in Pakistan on charges of being in possession of false identity papers and bomb-making materials.

But he was also wanted in the UK for questioning in connection with the murder of his uncle in Birmingham in 2002. It was on these grounds that his extradition was being sought.

Recently there were suggestions that Rauf was to be traded for two terrorist suspects wanted by the Pakistan authorities. Last week the UK arrested Faiz Baluch, 25, and Hyrbyair Marri, 39. The men are alleged to be terrorists who want separation for Baluchistan, a province of Pakistan. The British government said there was no link between its demands for the extradition of Rauf and the pair's arrest.

Last night Rauf's relatives expressed astonishment that he had fled. 'I don't know anything - I'm shocked,' his father, Abdul Rauf, said. Rauf's lawyer, Hashmat Habib, said his client had been brought to court in connection with the extradition proceedings, but that he did not know how Rauf had escaped.

Arab Times : Pakistan hunting British suspect in trans-Atlantic jet plot who fled custody

Pakistan hunting British suspect in trans-Atlantic jet plot who fled custody

December 16, 2007

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- Pakistani authorities were hunting Sunday for a Briton suspected in an alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic jetliners after he escaped police custody, a deep embarrassment to the government of President Pervez Musharraf.

Rashid Rauf fled Saturday after appearing before a judge at a court in the capital Islamabad in connection with an inquiry before his extradition to Britain, Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said.

'We are urgently seeking clarification of what happened,' said Laura Davies, a spokeswoman for the British High Commission in Islamabad.

Police said Saturday Rauf managed to open his handcuffs and evade two police guards who were taking him back to jail in nearby Rawalpindi. The two police officers have been arrested and are being investigated, Cheema said.

Rauf's apparent escape came as Musharraf lifted six weeks of emergency rule that he had justified in part on grounds of fighting Islamic extremism.

Rauf, who is of Pakistani origin, was arrested here in August 2006 on a tip from British investigators. Pakistan has described him as a key suspect in a purported plot to blow up jetliners flying from Britain to the United States which prompted a major security alert at airports worldwide and increased restrictions on carryon items.

Rauf denied involvement in the plot to assemble and detonate improvised explosives on board as many as 10 U.S.-bound planes. Seventeen suspects have been charged in Britain, some with conspiracy to murder and preparing acts of terrorism.

A 'high-powered' inquiry team of police and Interior Ministry officials has been set up to investigate how Rauf managed to escape and 'who is to blame,' Cheema told The Associated Press.

Police are hunting for Rauf and 'we are trying to relocate him,' he said.

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

The prosecution later withdrew the case against him, though he remained in jail awaiting a decision on the British extradition request.

Britain had asked Pakistan to hand him over in connection with a 2002 murder inquiry in Britain that is separate from the alleged terrorism plot. But Rauf's lawyer, Hashmat Habib, has sought to block the move, saying the two countries do not have an extradition treaty and that Rauf had already been found innocent of involvement in terrorism.

Members of Rauf's family have appealed to Pakistani authorities to release him, saying he is innocent and desperate to remain with his wife and two daughters.

Habib on Sunday described Rauf's reported escape as a 'mysterious disappearance,' claiming that perhaps Pakistani authorities did not want to hand him over to Britain. He said he doubted that Rauf would have been able to break a tight police guard on him.

'He was under tight security ... how it was possible that he escaped like that?' Habib said.

Rauf's father, reached in Birmingham, 320 kilometers (200 miles) north of London, said Saturday he did not know about his son's escape.

'I don't know anything -- I'm shocked,' Abdul Rauf told The Associated Press by telephone.

The British government this week denied media reports that Rauf was to be extradited from Pakistan as part of a secret deal involving the arrest in Britain of suspects wanted by Pakistan.

Two men accused of inciting terrorism and murder in Pakistan and of having links with an international terrorist group were ordered held in custody in London on Tuesday.

Faiz Baluch, 25, and Hyrbyair Marri, 39 -- both of London -- were arrested last week and jointly charged under Britain's Terrorism Act. Both claim they are peaceful activists calling for the independence of Baluchistan, a troubled province of Pakistan.

Telegraph : London airline bomb plot suspect escapes

London airline bomb plot suspect escapes

By Massoud Ansari and Miles Erwin | December 16, 2007

A key suspect in last year's alleged plot to bomb aircraft flying from Heathrow airport has staged a dramatic escape from custody in Pakistan.

Rashid Rauf, 26, a British national who used to live in Birmingham, escaped from Pakistani authorities after appearing before a judge in an Islamabad court. He could have faced extradition to Britain within weeks.

Khalid Pervez, a city police official, said that Rauf managed to open his handcuffs and evade police guards taking him back to Adiala prison in the nearby city of Rawalpindi.

Sources said that 12 policemen were being questioned and two had been accused of assisting the escape. "We do not know how he escaped. But we do know he has escaped and the two policemen have been taken into custody for negligence," said Mr Pervez.

Pakistani authorities confirmed that a manhunt had begun, with raids being carried out in an attempt to bring Rauf, regarded as a major suspect in the bombings, back into custody.

"Rashid Rauf escaped from police custody and we are making every possible effort to re-arrest him," said Brigadier Javed Cheema, the interior ministry spokesman.

The police chief of Islamabad, Shahid Nadeem Baluch, said: "The hunt is on to track him down. We have conducted some raids but so far there hasn't been any breakthrough."

Rauf is thought to have escaped at around 3pm (10am British time). His lawyer, Hashmat Habib, said, however, that his client had disappeared from police custody under "mysterious circumstances." Mr Habib added: "Police took my client from Adiala jail Saturday afternoon for a court appearance in nearby Islamabad and now they say he's escaped. It comes at a time when the British government is trying to extradite him. And it all looks very suspicious to me."

Rauf was arrested in Pakistan in August last year along with seven other suspects, after a tip-off from British intelligence, over alleged attempts to blow up 10 transatlantic jets.

Police believe that the plan was for different passengers to carry peroxide-based liquid explosive in drinks containers and detonators disguised as electronic devices and combine them on board. The arrests sparked a security alert and mass flight cancellations as well as restrictions on carry-on luggage.

A dual citizen of Britain and Pakistan, Rauf is married to a relative of Maulana Masood Azhar, the head and founder of Jaish-e-Mohammed, an Islamist militant group in Pakistan that has been linked to al-Qaeda. Azhar has lived in Bhawalpur, a city in eastern Pakistan where Rauf had also settled.

The Pakistani interior minister, Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, has called Rauf "an al-Qaeda operative with linkages in Afghanistan", but the anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi found no evidence that he had been involved in terrorist activities. His charges were downgraded to forgery and possession of explosives.

He is understood to have left Birmingham following the stabbing of his uncle, Mohammed Saeed, 54, near his home in Alum Rock in April 2002.

Britain has been seeking his extradition in relation to the murder, which has not been solved. It was reported last week that British officials had been engaged in secret negotiations with Pakistan to have Rauf handed over.

There is no extradition treaty and the Pakistani authorities were said to have requested a prisoner swap for two suspects arrested in Britain - Faiz Baluch, 25, and Hyrbyair Marri, 39.

They were arrested last week and jointly charged under the Terrorism Act with inciting terrorism and murder in Pakistan and of having links to an international terrorist group. Both claim they are peaceful activists calling for the independence of Baluchistan, a troubled province of Pakistan. The prisoner swap claims were denied by British authorities.

At the time of Rauf's arrest, Pakistan said he was a major suspect in the terrorism plot, but three days ago a Pakistani anti-terrorism court dropped the terrorism charges and held him only for allegedly possessing bomb-making equipment and living in Pakistan without appropriate documents.

That judgment was suspended on appeal and he faces the terrorism charges until his case is heard again on January 15. He was to have remained in custody until January 19.

Pakistani authorities have been accused of torturing Rauf to elicit more information. Mr Habib said his client had been falsely implicated and would prove his innocence.

News of Rauf's escape came as a surprise to his family in Birmingham. "I don't know anything - I'm shocked," said his father, Abdul Rauf.

A Pakistani security official said Rauf's frequent use of text messages to Britain led to his arrest outside an internet shop in Zhob, in the border region of Baluchistan.

IHT : 2 London residents accused of inciting terrorism in Pakistan are held in the UK

2 London residents accused of inciting terrorism in Pakistan are held in the UK

The Associated Press | December 11, 2007

LONDON: Two men accused of inciting terrorism and murder in Pakistan and of having links with an international terrorist group that is banned in Britain were ordered held in custody here Tuesday.

Faiz Baluch, 25, and Hyrbyair Marri, 39 — both of London — were jointly charged under Britain's Terrorism Act on Monday with inciting another person "to commit an act of terrorism wholly or partly outside the U.K. which would, if committed in England and Wales, constitute murder."

Marri, a father of four, also faces a second charge of possessing "a weapon designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid, gas or other thing" contrary to the Firearms Act.

The men were arrested a week ago by counterterrorism police during raids at their homes. Both claim they are peaceful activists calling for the independence of Baluchistan, a troubled province of Pakistan.

The Foreign Office denied a report in The Guardian newspaper Tuesday that the arrests may be part of a secret deal between the British and Pakistani governments to swap prisoners.

After a 30-minute hearing Tuesday, District Judge Timothy Workman remanded Baluch, an Iranian student, and Marri, a Pakistani journalist, in custody until Dec. 21, when they will appear at the Old Bailey.

Prosecutor Mark Topping said Baluch and Marri are accused of links to the Baluchistan Liberation Army, an organization that is banned in Britain.

Topping said cash and large quantities of documents, DVDs and computer files also were seized during the police raids on their homes and offices.

Baluchistan is a large region in southwest Pakistan that borders Afghanistan and Iran. There have been many clashes there between rebel fighters and Pakistan government forces.

The court heard that Marri is a former elected member of the regional assembly in Baluchistan and comes from a prominent family there. Baluch claimed asylum in Britain in 2002.

Human rights activist Peter Tatchell, who attended the hearing, said he knew both men and that they are Baluchistan nationalists who have oppose persecution of the Baluch people.

Tatchell said in a statement that the evidence of terrorism against Baluch and Marri is "flimsy, circumstantial and flawed," and that Pakistan's government "is pressing Britain for the extradition of Baluch nationalists exiled in London. If these men are extradited, they will never get a fair trial and they could face a death sentence."

The Guardian has reported that Britain's Foreign Office has held secret talks with Pakistani officials about securing the extradition from Pakistan of Briton Rashid Rauf, 26, who is wanted in connection with an alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners in the summer of 2006.

The paper said Pakistan has dropped charges against Rauf, allowing the British to seek his extradition, but demanded that he be swapped for people living in Britain who allegedly have been involved with Baluchistan's violence.

Britain's Foreign Office denied Tuesday that such talks have occurred.

"The claim that Baluch and Marri were arrested as part of a prisoner swap is completely incorrect," a spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity, in keeping with the ministry's regulations. "There's never been any question of reciprocity in extradition cases in general."

CBS : Terror Suspect Escapes In Pakistan

Terror Suspect Escapes In Pakistan

Rashid Rauf, Accused In Airliner Bomb Plot, Slips Away From Police Custody

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan | December 15, 2007

(AP) Rashid Rauf, a British suspect in an alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic jetliners, escaped from police custody in Pakistan on Saturday, officials said.

Rauf escaped after appearing before a judge at a court in the capital, Islamabad, said Khalid Pervez, a city police official.

Pervez said Rauf managed to open his handcuffs and evade two police guards who were taking him back to jail in the nearby city of Rawalpindi.

"We do not know how he escaped. But we do know he has escaped and the two policemen have been taken into custody for negligence," Pervez told The Associated Press.

Federal Interior Secretary Kamal Shah said he had been informed of the escape, but said he had no details.

The British government this week denied media reports that Rauf was to be extradited from Pakistan as part of a secret deal involving the arrest in Britain of two suspects wanted by Pakistan.

"I don't know anything - I'm shocked," Rauf's father, Abdul Rauf, told The Associated Press by telephone from Birmingham, 200 miles (321 kilometers) north of London.

Rauf, who also has a Pakistani passport, was arrested by Pakistani intelligence agents in August on a tip from their British counterparts.

He has been described as a key suspect in a purported plot to blow up jetliners flying from Britain to the United States, which prompted a major security alert at airports worldwide and increased restrictions on carry-on items.

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

The prosecution later withdrew the case against him and held him accountable only for possessing bomb-making materials and living in Pakistan without valid documents. Later, a higher court - acting on an appeal by Pakistani authorities - suspended the anti-terrorism court's ruling until Jan. 15.

A judge then extended his detention until Jan. 19.

Rauf had remained in jail awaiting a decision on a British extradition request. He had arrived in Pakistan soon after his uncle was stabbed to death in 2002, and British authorities had asked Pakistan to extradite Rauf in connection with the murder inquiry.

His lawyer, Hashmat Habib, has sought to block the move, saying the two countries did not have an extradition treaty and that Rashid had already been found innocent of involvement in terrorism.

Habib said Saturday that his client had been brought to court in connection with the extradition proceedings, but he did not know how Rauf had escaped.

The British government this week denied media reports that Rauf was to be extradited in exchange for two suspects wanted by Pakistan.

Faiz Baluch, 25, and Hyrbyair Marri, 39 - both of London - were arrested last week and jointly charged under Britain's Terrorism Act after being accused of inciting terrorism and murder in Pakistan and of having links with an international terrorist group. Both claim they are peaceful activists calling for the independence of Baluchistan, a troubled province of Pakistan.

USA Today : Officials: U.K. suspect in plot to destroy jets escapes

Officials: U.K. suspect in plot to destroy jets escapes

December 15, 2007

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Rashid Rauf, a British suspect in an alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic jetliners, escaped from police custody in Pakistan on Saturday, officials said.

Rauf escaped after appearing before a judge at a court in the capital, Islamabad, said Khalid Pervez, a city police official.

Pervez said Rauf managed to open his handcuffs and evade two police guards who were taking him back to jail in the nearby city of Rawalpindi.

"We do not know how he escaped. But we do know he has escaped and the two policemen have been taken into custody for negligence," Pervez told The Associated Press.

Federal Interior Secretary Kamal Shah said he had been informed of the escape, but said he had no details.

The British government this week denied media reports that Rauf was to be extradited from Pakistan as part of a secret deal involving the arrest in Britain of two suspects wanted by Pakistan.

"I don't know anything — I'm shocked," Rauf's father, Abdul Rauf, told The Associated Press by telephone from Birmingham, 200 miles (321 kilometers) north of London.

Rauf, who also has a Pakistani passport, was arrested by Pakistani intelligence agents in August on a tip from their British counterparts.

He has been described as a key suspect in a purported plot to blow up jetliners flying from Britain to the United States, which prompted a major security alert at airports worldwide and increased restrictions on carry-on items.

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

The prosecution later withdrew the case against him and held him accountable only for possessing bomb-making materials and living in Pakistan without valid documents. Later, a higher court — acting on an appeal by Pakistani authorities — suspended the anti-terrorism court's ruling until Jan. 15.

A judge then extended his detention until Jan. 19.

Rauf had remained in jail awaiting a decision on a British extradition request. He had arrived in Pakistan soon after his uncle was stabbed to death in 2002, and British authorities had asked Pakistan to extradite Rauf in connection with the murder inquiry.

His lawyer, Hashmat Habib, has sought to block the move, saying the two countries did not have an extradition treaty and that Rashid had already been found innocent of involvement in terrorism.

Habib said Saturday that his client had been brought to court in connection with the extradition proceedings, but he did not know how Rauf had escaped.

The British government this week denied media reports that Rauf was to be extradited in exchange for two suspects wanted by Pakistan.

Faiz Baluch, 25, and Hyrbyair Marri, 39 — both of London — were arrested last week and jointly charged under Britain's Terrorism Act after being accused of inciting terrorism and murder in Pakistan and of having links with an international terrorist group. Both claim they are peaceful activists calling for the independence of Baluchistan, a troubled province of Pakistan.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

AP : Plane Plot Suspect Escapes in Pakistan

Plane Plot Suspect Escapes in Pakistan

By ZARAR KHAN | Associated Press Writer | December 15, 2007

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- A British suspect in an alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic jetliners escaped from police custody in Pakistan on Saturday, officials said. Rashid Rauf fled after appearing before a judge at a court in the capital, Islamabad, said Khalid Pervez, a city police official.

Police teams were driving around the area in search of Rauf, who Pervez said had managed to open his handcuffs and evade two police guards who were taking him back to jail in the nearby city of Rawalpindi.

"We do not know how he escaped. But we do know he has escaped and the two policemen have been taken into custody for negligence," Pervez told The Associated Press.

Federal Interior Secretary Kamal Shah said he had been informed of Rauf's disappearance, but had no details.

Rauf, who is of Pakistani origin, was arrested here in August 2006 on a tip from British investigators. He has been described as a key suspect in a purported plot to blow up jetliners flying from Britain to the United States which prompted a major security alert at airports worldwide and increased restrictions on carryon items.

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

The prosecution later withdrew the case against him, though he remained in jail awaiting a decision on the British extradition request.

Britain had asked Pakistan to hand him over in connection with a 2002 murder inquiry in Britain that is separate from the alleged terrorism plot. But Rauf's lawyer, Hashmat Habib, has sought to block the move, saying the two countries do not have an extradition treaty and that Rauf had already been found innocent of involvement in terrorism.

Members of Rauf's family have appealed to Pakistani authorities to release him, saying he is innocent and desperate to remain with his wife and two daughters.

Habib said Saturday that his client had been brought to court in connection with the extradition proceedings, but he didn't know how Rauf had escaped.

Rauf's father, reached in Birmingham, 200 miles north of London, said he did not know about his son's escape.

"I don't know anything - I'm shocked," Abdul Rauf told The Associated Press by telephone.

The British government this week denied media reports that Rauf was to be extradited from Pakistan as part of a secret deal involving the arrest in Britain of suspects wanted by Pakistan.

Two men accused of inciting terrorism and murder in Pakistan and of having links with an international terrorist group were ordered held in custody in London on Tuesday.

Faiz Baluch, 25, and Hyrbyair Marri, 39 - both of London - were arrested last week and jointly charged under Britain's Terrorism Act. Both claim they are peaceful activists calling for the independence of Baluchistan, a troubled province of Pakistan.

Associated Press writer Munir Ahmad contributed to this report.

© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

AP : Plane Plot Suspect Escapes in Pakistan

Plane Plot Suspect Escapes in Pakistan

By ZARAR KHAN | Associated Press Writer | December 15, 2007

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) -- A British suspect in an alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic jetliners escaped from police custody in Pakistan on Saturday, officials said. Rashid Rauf fled after appearing before a judge at a court in the capital, Islamabad, said Khalid Pervez, a city police official.

Police teams were driving around the area in search of Rauf, who Pervez said had managed to open his handcuffs and evade two police guards who were taking him back to jail in the nearby city of Rawalpindi.

"We do not know how he escaped. But we do know he has escaped and the two policemen have been taken into custody for negligence," Pervez told The Associated Press.

Federal Interior Secretary Kamal Shah said he had been informed of Rauf's disappearance, but had no details.

Rauf, who is of Pakistani origin, was arrested here in August 2006 on a tip from British investigators. He has been described as a key suspect in a purported plot to blow up jetliners flying from Britain to the United States which prompted a major security alert at airports worldwide and increased restrictions on carryon items.

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

The prosecution later withdrew the case against him, though he remained in jail awaiting a decision on the British extradition request.

Britain had asked Pakistan to hand him over in connection with a 2002 murder inquiry in Britain that is separate from the alleged terrorism plot. But Rauf's lawyer, Hashmat Habib, has sought to block the move, saying the two countries do not have an extradition treaty and that Rauf had already been found innocent of involvement in terrorism.

Members of Rauf's family have appealed to Pakistani authorities to release him, saying he is innocent and desperate to remain with his wife and two daughters.

Habib said Saturday that his client had been brought to court in connection with the extradition proceedings, but he didn't know how Rauf had escaped.

Rauf's father, reached in Birmingham, 200 miles north of London, said he did not know about his son's escape.

"I don't know anything - I'm shocked," Abdul Rauf told The Associated Press by telephone.

The British government this week denied media reports that Rauf was to be extradited from Pakistan as part of a secret deal involving the arrest in Britain of suspects wanted by Pakistan.

Two men accused of inciting terrorism and murder in Pakistan and of having links with an international terrorist group were ordered held in custody in London on Tuesday.

Faiz Baluch, 25, and Hyrbyair Marri, 39 - both of London - were arrested last week and jointly charged under Britain's Terrorism Act. Both claim they are peaceful activists calling for the independence of Baluchistan, a troubled province of Pakistan.

Associated Press writer Munir Ahmad contributed to this report.

© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Guardian : Foreign Office accused of swap deal over terror suspects

Foreign Office accused of swap deal over terror suspects

Sandra Laville | The Guardian | December 11, 2007

Two men wanted in Pakistan for alleged terrorist activity have been charged in London under the Terrorism Act as part of what human rights campaigners claim is a secret deal between the two countries.

Faiz Baluch, 25, of north London and Hyrbyair Marri, 39, of west London, were charged with inciting another person to commit an act of terrorism "wholly or partly outside the UK". A Scotland Yard statement said they were due to appear at City of Westminster magistrates court this morning. Marri is also charged with possessing a weapon capable of discharging a noxious liquid, gas or other substance, police said.

The Guardian revealed this year that the Foreign Office was engaged in behind the scenes discussions with Pakistani officials in an effort to secure the extradition of Rashid Rauf, a 26-year-old Briton held in a high security prison in Pakistan.

Rauf, from Birmingham, is wanted in connection with an alleged plot to blow up transatlantic airliners in the summer of 2006. He is considered a key suspect by senior counter-terrorism officers. But the Pakistanis demanded that Rauf be swapped for people living in the UK who they claim are involved in an uprising in the oil-rich western province of Baluchistan.Two of these men, Marri Baluch, were arrested last week in London.

The Pakistani authorities have dropped charges against Rauf, allowing the British to seek his extradition.

Supporters of the two Baluchi nationalists believe a secret deal has been made between the two countries. They warned that the men would be tortured and imprisoned if returned to Pakistan.

Mehran Baluch, Marri's brother, claimed the arrest came two weeks after the Pakistani authorities killed another brother, Balach Marri, in Baluchistan. "This seems like no coincidence but a planned conspiracy and collaboration by the two governments."

Baluch said President Pervez Musharraf's envoy, Tariq Azim, had recently visited the UK as part of collaboration between the two countries on the war on terror.

The human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said: "If these men are extradited they will never get a fair trial and they could face a death sentence.

"The Pakistan authorities have repeatedly framed peaceful nationalists and human rights campaigners, both inside Baluchistan and abroad."

Earlier this year lawyers from the Crown Prosecution Service flew to Islamabad to help the Pakistani authorities prepare extradition papers for up to eight Baluchi nationalists living in the UK. Rauf's arrest in August last year by Pakistan's security services sparked a series of raids in Britain linked to an alleged attempt to blow up transatlantic airliners, over which 15 people have been charged.

Rauf is also wanted by West Midlands police in connection with the murder of a relative.

IHT : 2 London residents accused of inciting terrorism in Pakistan are held in the UK

2 London residents accused of inciting terrorism in Pakistan are held in the UK

The Associated Press | December 11, 2007

LONDON: Two men accused of inciting terrorism and murder in Pakistan and of having links with an international terrorist group that is banned in Britain were ordered held in custody here Tuesday.

Faiz Baluch, 25, and Hyrbyair Marri, 39 — both of London — were jointly charged under Britain's Terrorism Act on Monday with inciting another person "to commit an act of terrorism wholly or partly outside the U.K. which would, if committed in England and Wales, constitute murder."

Marri, a father of four, also faces a second charge of possessing "a weapon designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid, gas or other thing" contrary to the Firearms Act.

The men were arrested a week ago by counterterrorism police during raids at their homes. Both claim they are peaceful activists calling for the independence of Baluchistan, a troubled province of Pakistan.

The Foreign Office denied a report in The Guardian newspaper Tuesday that the arrests may be part of a secret deal between the British and Pakistani governments to swap prisoners.

After a 30-minute hearing Tuesday, District Judge Timothy Workman remanded Baluch, an Iranian student, and Marri, a Pakistani journalist, in custody until Dec. 21, when they will appear at the Old Bailey.

Prosecutor Mark Topping said Baluch and Marri are accused of links to the Baluchistan Liberation Army, an organization that is banned in Britain.

Topping said cash and large quantities of documents, DVDs and computer files also were seized during the police raids on their homes and offices.

Baluchistan is a large region in southwest Pakistan that borders Afghanistan and Iran. There have been many clashes there between rebel fighters and Pakistan government forces.

The court heard that Marri is a former elected member of the regional assembly in Baluchistan and comes from a prominent family there. Baluch claimed asylum in Britain in 2002.

Human rights activist Peter Tatchell, who attended the hearing, said he knew both men and that they are Baluchistan nationalists who have oppose persecution of the Baluch people.

Tatchell said in a statement that the evidence of terrorism against Baluch and Marri is "flimsy, circumstantial and flawed," and that Pakistan's government "is pressing Britain for the extradition of Baluch nationalists exiled in London. If these men are extradited, they will never get a fair trial and they could face a death sentence."

The Guardian has reported that Britain's Foreign Office has held secret talks with Pakistani officials about securing the extradition from Pakistan of Briton Rashid Rauf, 26, who is wanted in connection with an alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners in the summer of 2006.

The paper said Pakistan has dropped charges against Rauf, allowing the British to seek his extradition, but demanded that he be swapped for people living in Britain who allegedly have been involved with Baluchistan's violence.

Britain's Foreign Office denied Tuesday that such talks have occurred.

"The claim that Baluch and Marri were arrested as part of a prisoner swap is completely incorrect," a spokeswoman said on condition of anonymity, in keeping with the ministry's regulations. "There's never been any question of reciprocity in extradition cases in general."

News dot Com (AU) : Men charged with inciting terror abroad

Men charged with inciting terror abroad

Article from: Agence France-Presse | From correspondents in London

December 11, 2007 10:35am

POLICE in London have charged two men, described by a human rights activist as supporters of a separatist movement in southwestern Pakistan, with inciting terrorism outside of Britain.
The pair, 25-year-old Faiz Baluch and 39-year-old Hyrbyair Marri, were accused of "jointly inciting another person to commit an act of terrorism wholly or partly outside the UK which would, if committed in England and Wales, constitute murder".

Mr Marri was also charged with "possession (of) a weapon designed or adapted for the discharge of any noxious liquid, gas or other thing".

They will both appear at City of Westminster Magistrates Court in London today.

According to rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, they are lawful supporters of the independence movement in Baluchistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, and feared they could be extradited to Pakistan to face a possible death sentence.

The charges come less than a month after Pakistan began proceedings for the extradition to Britain of Rashid Rauf, a suspect in an alleged plot to blow up US-bound passenger planes with liquid explosives in August last year.

In April this year, newspaper reports said Pakistan was prepared to extradite Mr Rauf, from Birmingham, west central England, in exchange for eight suspected members of the Baluchistan Liberation Army.

The organisation was added to the British Government's proscribed list of terrorist organisations in July 2006, shortly before proceedings against Mr Rauf began.

The Guardian said in March this year that Britain was in secret talks to swap Mr Rauf for eight people suspected of involvement in an uprising in Baluchistan.

Mr Baluch and Mr Marri were arrested on December 4, and Scotland Yard said at the time they were not arrested on extradition warrants.