Plane plot: Trial in 2008?

2006-09-04 17:30

London - Eight British Muslims charged in connection with an alleged plot to blow up transatlantic jets were remanded in custody for two weeks on Monday after appearing at London's central criminal court.

The men, who face two charges each of conspiracy to murder and preparing an act of terrorism, appeared via videolink from the maximum security Belmarsh prison in south-east London.

Judge Anne Rafferty was told that their trial may not get under way until January 2008 at the earliest.

The eight were among 25 people arrested as part of an operation launched in the early hours of August 10 when British police announced they had foiled a conspiracy to blow up several US-bound airliners using liquid explosives.

A screen in court showed the bearded men sitting in a line in a blue room. All had their legs and arms crossed. Six were dressed in red T-shirts and trousers and the other two were all in white.

'Yeah'

As they were asked by the judge to confirm their identities, their answers of "yeah" were barely audible over the crackling audio connection.

The judge granted a two-week adjournment of the preliminary hearing before a court packed with lawyers and journalists, and a busy public gallery with family members looking on.

The accused are: Ahmed Abdullah Ali, 25, Tanvir Hussain, 25, Umar Islam, 28, Arafat Waheed Khan, 25, Assad Ali Sarwar, 26, Adam Khatib, 19, Ibrahim Savant, 25 and Waheed Zaman, 25.

Islam, Khan, Ali, Zaman and Khatib are from east London; Savant lives in north London; Sarwar is from the commuter belt town of High Wycombe, northwest of the capital; while Hussain has no fixed address.

Prosecutor Colin Gibbs said on Monday that, because of its complexity, the trial was not likely to start before January 2008 and could even be delayed until several months after that.

Ali's lawyer, Jonathan Whitfield, criticised the length of the delay, as did other defence lawyers representing the other defendants.

'Grave concern'

"The idea that this case will not come up until early or later year after next causes me grave concern," Whitfield said.

Britain's strict contempt of court laws prohibit the media from reporting anything other than limited details of the case until the evidence is put before a jury at any trial.

The defendants are likely to face a number of similar hearings, where their lawyers, prosecutors and the judge will work out the logistics of the future trial.

At one of the hearings they will enter a formal plea to the charges.

Three other men - Nabeel Hussain, 22, Mohammed Shamin Uddin, 35, and Mohammed Yasar Gulzar, 25 - have also been charged with conspiracy to murder and preparing an act of terrorism.

They will appear at the court on September 18.

Four others have been charged with lesser offences, including withholding information about an impending terrorist attack and possessing items and information likely to be useful to someone planning an attack.

Five have been released without charge and five others remain in custody after police were granted permission to hold them until Wednesday.

Under Britain's anti-terror laws, police have up to 28 days to question them.

- AFP