A Big BooHoo!

[Annie]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050302/ap_on_re_us/terror_training_2

Lawyer: Man Tried to Set Up Terror Camp

Wed Mar 2, 4:22 PM ET U.S. National - AP


By MATT APUZZO, Associated Press Writer

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - A British computer specialist tried to set up a terrorist training camp in Arizona, where he met with Islamic radicals who claimed ties to Osama bin Laden (news - web sites), a government attorney alleged Wednesday.

Babar Ahmad, who is being held in London on charges he ran terrorist fund-raising Web sites, met in Phoenix in 1998 with Yaser Al Jhani, a member of the Islamic mujahedeen militia, and others who claimed to have access to bin Laden, said John Hardy, a British lawyer representing the U.S. government.

"He expressed an interest in developing a training system in Arizona," Hardy told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from London. "That is, a training system, in effect for the mujahedeen to visit and train to fight abroad."

Details of the Phoenix trip were outlined in a report by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Appleton, who would prosecute the case in Connecticut because one of the Web sites Ahmad ran was hosted here. The report has not been released to the public, but Hardy summarized it and plans to present it as evidence at Ahmad's extradition hearing, which began Wednesday in London.

There was no evidence in the report that Ahmad successfully set up the camp, but he practiced using some firearms while in Phoenix, Hardy said.

Ahmad was indicted in October on charges of supporting terrorism, conspiring to kill Americans and laundering money through the Web sites he operated.

He is accused of recruiting al-Qaida, Taliban and Chechen fighters and outfitting them with gas masks, night-vision goggles and camouflage gear.

Federal prosecutors in Connecticut declined to comment on the case, including whether Ahmad's alleged efforts to establish a training camp will lead to more charges.

British police arrested Ahmad, allegedly for terrorism offenses, in December 2003, but released him a week later without charging him. His lawyers have said he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after being assaulted during that arrest. A police officer has been charged with misconduct over the incident.

In London, scores of Ahmad's supporters demonstrated outside the courthouse Wednesday, calling for him to face trial in Britain.

 

[Adam's Apple]

This will be an interesting case to watch. My money says that Ahmad will never be extradited to the U.S. European countries have vowed that they would never turn over captured terrorists to the U.S. to stand trial because of our capital punishment laws.

 

[Johnney]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050302/ap_on_re_us/terror_training_2

yer right, a big boohoo!
the EU need to reach down and make sure they still have a pair of nuts. if you dont get tougher, your going to be the little girl on the sidelines.

 

[Hristowl]

Firstly I am a London resident who generally supports US (and UK) policy in the Middle East but I think there are two things worth pointing out vis-a-vis your post:

1. He is being tried in a British court for his crimes and despite a large amount of democratic protest outside the courtrooms, a majority of British citizens would be in favour of extradition to the US of someone found guilty of Al Qaida membership - and it does appear that he may be guilty.

2. His weapon training was in Phoenix. This could not have happened in the EU, and UK intelligence agents could not track him in the US.

 

[William Joyce]

Babar Ahman isn't an Englishman or an American. He's an Arab. He shouldn't be on our land, working to destroy our people. He should be sent back Arab-land.

 

[Johnney]

Wow, were you been Joycie, at a KKK convention?

he was chairing the junior KKK winter training camp.