Old Bailey Court to Try Grenade Carrier

www.newsmax.com Tiana Perez Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2003 Hasil Mohammed Rahaham-Alan, 37, was charged in the United Kingdom with violating anti-terrorist laws after being arrested for carrying a grenade in London airport Gatwick last Thursday. Rahaham-Alan, of Bangladeshi origin, left Caracas, Venezuela on a British Airways flight in possession of Venezuelan documents.

A British judge imposed a preventive imprisonment sentence of a week for the terrorist who will be tried at the Old Bailey tribunal starting February 24 on charges of possession of utensils and explosive substances, as well as for the plotting of terrorist activities.

Venezuelan Immigration Services said they had long known of Mohamed’s trip schedule during the last few months, which included visits to a number of “conflictive countries” but failed to give more details on the subject.

According to Dominical Mail, the U.S. Defense Department, formally notified Venezuelan officials last month that Al-Qaeda was operating a training camp at the northern island of Margarita, a well-known tourist spot in Venezuela. (2.16 www.eluniversal.com)

The magazine also revealed that Scotland Yard Investigators were headed to Venezuela to inquire into established terrorist cells there lead by Osama bin Laden.

The capture of the Venezuelan terrorist was cause of alarm among British authorities after the recent declaration of the Terrorist Alert in the U.K. In view of an expected terrorist attack’Gat Security measures have been increased activating a troop of 450 soldiers and 1500 policeman at the London Heathrow airport.