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| Europe |
| Man accused of funding ricin plot |
| 2003-01-22 |
| ONE of the terrorism suspects arrested in a London mosque raid was being questioned yesterday over allegations he was the financier of the ricin poison plot.The suspect, an Algerian who entered the country as an asylum-seeker, was described by police as "a major player" in the suspected conspiracy uncovered when a makeshift poison laboratory was found in a north London flat two weeks ago. Detectives who have examined computers seized during the investigation believe he was involved in recruiting young men who worshipped at the Finsbury Park mosque, helping them with benefit claims and offering extra finance by using stolen or counterfeit credit cards. He is also suspected of providing recruits with false identification papers and disposable mobile telephones. How can you be a good Islamist without a false ID? The decision to mount the mosque operation - in which four other Algerians, a Somali and an Albanian were also held - was taken as a result of information recovered from the hard disks of computers seized after the discovery of traces of ricin in a flat above a Wood Green pharmacy, 5km from the mosque. Yesterday specialist search teams were looking under the floorboards, inside ceiling cavities and behind partition walls of the mosque, while police technicians searched the memories of computers from an office used by the mosque's imam, Abu Hamza al-Masri, and his deputy, Abu Obeida. Those computers will git you every time. Thank goodness these guys never seem to learn that hitting delete doesn't erase the data, just the link to it. Mr Hamza became a British citizen after marrying an Englishwoman in 1985. They later divorced. He is wanted for questioning over alleged terrorism offences in Yemen, but is unlikely to be extradited because of concerns he would not be given a fair trial. He is also the subject of a grand jury investigation in Seattle over claims he tried to establish a terrorist training camp in Oregon. He has denounced any criminal or terrorist activity at the mosque as "disgusting", but insisted the police operation had been a waste of taxpayers' money. Seems like money well spent to me. Police have so far found a CS tear gas canister, a stun gun and a blank-firing replica pistol at the mosque and removed hundreds of documents, including forged French passports, fake French and Belgian identity cards, and counterfeit or stolen credit cards. Police said they were keen to conclude the search as quickly as possible. A Scotland Yard spokesman said: "It's not in anyone's interests for us to be there any longer than is necessary, as it is a place of worship and a focus for some of the community. The length of the search depends upon how successful it is, but I think it will be completed in time for Friday's prayers." Britain's Charity Commission, which oversees the funding of places of worship, has been trying for several weeks to expel Mr Hamza from the mosque because of his radical preaching. The Financial Times newspaper said Mr Hamza al-Masri and his hardline supporters could lose control of the mosque under plans being drawn up by police and moderate Muslims. According to the paper, the mosque could go back into the hands of its former Muslim trustees, sidelined since the building became a gathering place for Britain's radical Islamic movement in the late 1990s. Those reputed to have passed through Finsbury Park mosque include convicted "shoe bomber" Richard Reid and Djamel Beghal, alleged leader of a terrorist cell that planned to attack US interests in France. I'm sure we'll find a lot more as time goes on |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #2 Well they were mostly Algerians.. |
| Posted by: Paul 2003-01-23 03:09:16 |
| #1 The quantity of francophone materials is intriguing. And suspicious given France's recent behavior. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-01-22 17:38:02 |