Man Guilty of Helping to Supply Terror Equipment

Source Article HERE.

From The Guardian (UK): On Friday, a man was convicted of being part of a cell whose leader planned to kidnap and behead a British soldier. Zahoor Iqbal, 30, of Perry Barr, Birmingham, was found guilty at Leicester Crown Court on one count of helping Parviz Khan supply equipment to terrorists in Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border, to aid attacks on Coalition Forces. He was cleared of possessing a document or record likely to be useful to a terrorist: a computer disk entitled 'Encyclopaedia Jihad'. Khan has admitted to four charges linked to the kidnapping plot and other offences. He was the only defendant charged over the plan to murder a soldier.

During the trial, Iqbal denied prosecution claims that he helped Khan send the illegal cargoes to terrorists, saying he thought their trips to wholesalers were to buy relief aid for the victims of the Kashmir earthquake in October 2005. The defendant, a school attendance and mentoring officer, told jurors he believed the invasion of Iraq "was the right thing to do". He did not subscribe to Khan's extremist views, he said, and had no sympathy with the July 7 London bombers. He was remanded in custody for sentencing.

Another man, Amjad Mahmood, 32, of Alum Rock, Birmingham, was cleared of a charge of helping to supply equipment for terrorist activities. The jury is still considering another charge, that Mahmood knew about Khan's plan to film the beheading of a soldier but failed to inform the authorities. Three other Birmingham men have admitted related offences. Hamid Elasmar, 44, of Edgbaston, and Mohammed Irfan, 31, of Ward End, pleaded guilty before the trial to helping Khan send the shipments to the subcontinent. A third man, Basiru Gassama, 30, of Hodge Hill, admitted knowing about Khan's kidnap plot and failing to tell the authorities.