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Posted on 08/28/2007 2:32:19 PM PDT by UKrepublican
Terror trial hears of raid
By ONLINE REPORTER August 28, 2007
A TERROR suspect was stopped at Glasgow Airport and released days before his house was raided by police, a court has heard.
The High Court in Glasgow heard Mohammed Atif Siddique had been trying to fly out to Pakistan with an uncle.
But after searching his cases and computer, officers found nothing connected with terrorism and released him that evening.
The court heard Detective Constable Murray switched on and looked at Siddique’s laptop but found nothing more than photographs of family gatherings.
He conceded he was not aware of regulations that seized computers should not be switched on but agreed his actions could have lead to vital evidence being contaminated.
Days later, police arrested Siddique following a dramatic raid at his home, during which his mother, father and three brothers were tied up.
Siddique, 21, from Alva, in Clackmannanshire, denies five charges, including distributing terrorist materials through websites and claiming to be a member of the al Qaida terror network.
Detective Constable John Hay, of Central Scotland Police, told how officers burst into his family home in Alva at 7am.
Siddique was arrested and his parents and three brothers had their wrists tied using a type of cable.
Siddique was taken to the Scottish terrorist detention centre in Glasgow and told he could not contact anyone.
Donald Findlay QC, defending, hit out at the police’s methods, calling them "crude."
He said: "The door was smashed in at 7am and the mother, father and three brothers were tied up using some kind of cable."
But advocate depute Brian McConnachie QC defended the police’s actions. "Do the police always have the time to take into account the feelings and wishes of members of an accused person’s family?" he asked.
To which DC Hay responded: "No."
After Siddique’s arrest, a police team searched his house for three days and took away hundreds of items, including CDs, floppy disks, old receipts and an MP3 player.
Siddique faces three charges under the Terrorism Act 2000, one under the Terrorism Act 2006 and a breach of the peace charge.
He is accused of possessing items which gave a reasonable suspicion that they were connected with the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism. Among the items described are imitation firearms and instructions on making bombs.
It is also alleged that he collected information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.
Siddique is charged further with setting up websites that demonstrate how to make explosives and freely distributing terrorist publications via websites.
He is also accused of committing a breach of the peace at Glasgow Metropolitan College on various dates by claiming to be a member of al Qaida as well as showing images of suicide bombers.
The offences are alleged to have been carried out between March 1, 2003 and April 13, 2006.
The trial continues.
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From what I recall of the way a would-be suicide bomber was taken care of in the Glasgow Airport, they ought to just let the Glaswegians take care of it. “We’ll set aboot ye”—that was priceless!
It certainly was. Hopefully Mr Smeaton will get rewarded - he did meet the PM which was a nice touch.
I hope he does too, but it’s nice to think that people still do things just because it’s the right thing to do :)
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