Terror suspect in court

www.itv.com Hasil Mohammed Rahaham-Alan, 37, is charged with having explosives with intent to endanger life or damage property

11.33AM GMT, 17 Feb 2003

A man arrested at Gatwick Airport allegedly with a live hand grenade in his luggage has been remanded in custody after a brief court appearance.

Hasil Mohammed Rahaham-Alan, 37, faces three charges in connection with the alleged discovery by customs officers.

He appeared before London's Bow Street Magistrates Court but did not enter a plea.

Rahaham-Alan was stopped by customs officers on Thursday after arriving on a British Airways flight he had boarded in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.

He was quizzed throughout the weekend by detectives from Scotland Yard's Anti-Terrorist Branch, who have been liaising with their counterparts in South America.

The US Department of State has said Venezuela's Margarita Island is home to a large expatriate population from the Middle East, many of whom work in the oil industry.

Following the incident, passengers at Gatwick were evacuated from the airport's North Terminal and outbound flights were suspended.

The terminal remained closed for several hours, at a time when the country was on high alert with light tanks and more than 400 soldiers being deployed at Heathrow airport amid fears of attack.