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.

news.independent.co.uk By Paul Peachey 18 February 2003

A Venezuelan man arrested at Gatwick Airport for allegedly carrying a hand grenade in his luggage was remanded in custody when he appeared in court yesterday.

Hasil Mohammed Rahaham-Alan was stopped by Customs officers on Thursday after arriving from Caracas, Venezuela, on a British Airways flight.

The north terminal at Gatwick was evacuated and closed for several hours and many flights delayed or cancelled following his arrest.

Mr Rahaham-Alan, 37, was questioned over the weekend by detectives from Scotland Yard's anti-terrorist branch before appearing yesterday at Bow Street magistrates court, central London. He was charged with possession of an explosive, possession of an article for terrorist purposes, and carrying a dangerous item on a flight.

Mr Rahaham-Alan, bearded with long hair and dressed in a baggy blue jumper, sat in the dock flanked by a police officer and a Spanish interpreter for the five-minute hearing. He stood and spoke in a barely audible voice as he gave his full name and date of birth to the court and gave an address in Caracas, Venez-uela. His lawyer, Peter Corrigan, said he could understand the proceedings in English but the interpreter would clarify anything if necessary.

There was no application for bail and the charges were transferred to the Old Bailey where he will next appear on 24 February.

In a separate hearing, Karim Kadouri, 33, an Algerian was yesterday jailed for four months for having a fake passport after being arrested in November under the Terrorism Act.

abcnews.go.com The Associated Press LONDON Feb. 17 —

A Venezuelan man arrested at London's Gatwick airport for carrying a live hand grenade in his luggage was ordered Monday to appear in court next week on terrorism charges.

Hasil Mohammed Rahaham-Alan, 37, identified himself during Monday's hearing and said he lived in Caracas, Venezuela. He did not enter a plea and his next hearing was scheduled for Feb. 24.

Rahaham-Alan was arrested last week during a huge security alert when the army placed more than 400 troops at Heathrow airport west of London and stepped up security at other airports.

Rahaham-Alan had a Venezuelan passport and arrived on a flight from Caracas, police said. Officers said they found a grenade in his luggage and shut Gatwick's North Terminal for several hours.

He was charged Sunday night with possession of an explosive, possession of an article for terrorist purposes and carrying a dangerous item on a flight.

In a separate hearing, a 33-year-old Algerian man was jailed for four months for having a fake passport.

Karim Kadouri and two other men were arrested in November under the Terrorism Act amid media reports that terrorists were planning a poison gas attack on London's subway system.

The government denied the reports.

www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk 11:00 - 17 February 2003

Al Qaida terrorists have a "substantial presence" in the UK, and the risk of attacks remains "high", according to the most senior police officer in England and Wales.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens dismissed suggestions that a hoax was to blame for the terror alert which has seen tanks at Heathrow and heightened security at other airports around the country over the past week.

The Government's emergency planning committee, codenamed Cobra, was meeting daily to assess the level of threat and did not believe the danger of terror attacks was over, said Sir John.

He confirmed there were concerns at the highest levels that ground-to-air missile-launchers had been smuggled into the UK and could be used in attempts to shoot down aeroplanes taking off or landing at British airports.

And he said there was a "generalised threat" that people operating within London would use whatever means they could find to bring mayhem to the capital.

While most security work to thwart the terrorists had to go on in secrecy, Sir John said some successes had been achieved, with a total of 72 arrests over several months for terrorist offences.

Asked how many al Qaida cells were operating in the UK, he told BBC1's Breakfast with Frost: "It is very difficult to know, but we do know that there is a substantial presence and we are taking action in relation to those.

"The threat is still high and we have still got an operation at Heathrow. What we do every day is analyse the threat and meet that threat with whatever resources necessary."

Sir John was speaking as it was reported that a man arrested at Gatwick airport on Thursday with a live grenade in his baggage was known to authorities in his native Venezuela and had visited "sensitive countries" within the past few months.

Venezuelan authorities named the man, being questioned at the high-security Paddington Green police station in west London, as Rahaman Alan Hazil Mohammad, who has Venezuelan citizenship, said the BBC. Scotland Yard refused to confirm the suspect's name, but said anti-terrorist officers were liaising with their counterparts in South America and would fly out if necessary.

europe.cnn.com Monday, February 17, 2003 Posted: 1226 GMT

LONDON, England -- A Venezuelan man charged in connection with the discovery of a live grenade at a London airport has been remanded in custody.

Hasil Mohammed Rahaham-Alan is accused of three offences under the UK's Terrorism 2000 Act after a the device was allegedly found in his luggage at Gatwick Airport.

The 37-year-old appeared at London's Bow Street Magistrates' Court on Monday where he was formally accused of possession of an article for the purpose of committing a terrorist act, possession of an explosive substance with intent to endanger life or damage property, and carrying a dangerous article on a British registered aircraft.

District Judge Nicholas Evans ended the five-minute hearing by telling the defendant that he was transferring the case to the Old Bailey under Section 51 of the Crime and Disorder Act.

There was no application for bail and Rahaham-Alan was remanded in custody to February 24.

Following the incident, last Thursday, 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.

BA launched an investigation into how the grenade got on to the plane undetected.

The airline said its policy is to screen all baggage before allowing it onto planes.