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| Britain |
| 9/11 supporter extradicted to Spain |
| 2005-06-02 |
| A man accused of being part of a terror group that helped the 11 September attackers can be extradited to Spain, a court in London has ruled. Hedi Ben Youseff Boudhiba, a 45-year-old Tunisian, is alleged to have been part of a group that gave money and fake documents to al-Qaeda. His lawyers said he should not be sent to Spain because he was mentally ill and had previously attempted suicide. He was held in the UK last August as he was about to board a flight to Spain. His extradition was sought by top Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon. District Judge Daphne Wickham, sitting at Bow Street Magistrates, ruled Mr Boudhiba, who allegedly uses the alias Fathi, could be extradited to face charges of belonging to a terrorist organisation. Lawyers for the Tunisian - held at Liverpool John Lennon Airport as he was about to get on a flight to Barcelona - argued that the Spanish authorities could eventually send him on to Tunisia where he would be at risk of being tortured. They also said he had suffered from depression and psychosis and had once tried to slash his throat. Mr Boudhiba has a week to appeal against the decision. Investigators in Spain had originally wanted to interview him as a witness rather than as a suspect, Bow Street Magistrates heard. They say he travelled from Hamburg to Istanbul on 3 September 2001 with Ahmed Taleb, allegedly a member of the Hamburg cell, which is also believed to have counted 11 September leader Mohammed Atta and two other hijackers as members. The Spanish authorities also believe Mr Boudhiba provided fake documents for Ramzi Binalshibh, who Judge Garzon says met Atta to plan the attacks in 2001. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #2 His lawyers said he should not be sent to Spain because he was mentally ill but we knew that already |
| Posted by: PlanetDan 2005-06-02 17:53 |
| #1 Sometimes attempting suicide is a sign of sanity, rather than otherwise. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-06-02 17:34 |