Adam Fresco, Crime Correspondent
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The brother of an Islamic terrorist who drove a flaming Jeep into Glasgow airport was convicted yesterday of failing to tell police about the mission.
Sabeel Ahmed received an e-mail from his brother Kafeel telling him to look after their mother and father and saying: “It’s about time that we give up our lives and our families for the sake of Islam to please Allah.”
Sabeel, an NHS doctor, did not read the e-mail until the evening after the attack but still did not tell police about it. Yesterday he admitted failing to disclose information to police and was sentenced to 18 months in jail.
He will be released from custody and voluntarily deported to India almost immediately because of time in jail he has already served.
At the end of June last year Kafeel had targeted London nightclubs with two car bombs that were designed to “maximise the loss of life” but they failed to detonate.
Knowing that the police were closing in, he instead tried to drive a burning vehicle into the airport on June 30. But he could not get through the glass doors and suffered severe burns from which he later died.
Kafeel’s e-mail directed Sabeel to online documents containing his will and instructions on how to mislead investigators. Part of it read: “This is a project I was working on for some time now. Everything else was a lie and I hope you can forgive me for being such a good liar. It was necessary.”
The message added: “Inshallah by the time you get this message I should have achieved one of the two goals by the will of Allah.”
Jonathan Laidlaw, for the prosecution, told the Old Bailey how Kafeel aimed for the entrance doors of the airport but crashed into the pillars. He said: “Despite his efforts, the vehicle became trapped. Those who witnessed him described a set and determined face as he stared forward.
“His passenger lowered his window and threw a petrol bomb across the bonnet in the direction of the taxi rank and then threw a second of these devices in the opposite direction. At the same time the driver, the defendant’s brother, began to pour and splash fuel from a can on to the area outside the car window and appeared to throw a petrol bomb.
“He got out of the vehicle and was engulfed in flames that swept around the Jeep and terminal building. He appeared to try and prevent others from getting to him or the vehicle. He kicked out but eventually, he being on fire, he was extinguished, subdued, handcuffed and arrested.”
Sentencing Sabeel, Mr Justice Calvert-Smith told him: “Just before he \ set off on the attack he sent you a text message telling you to access the site to which he had saved his document. It is clear that Kafeel Ahmed wrote it in anticipation of his own death in the hope that his body may be unrecognisable and unidentifiable, and asked you to keep up a pretence that he was in Iceland on some secret project connected with his work as a scientist.
“It is clear you did not receive it until afterwards. Having opened the document on the website and realising your brother had been involved in a very serious offence, you kept that to yourself rather than going to the authorities. I accept there is no sign of you being an extremist or party to extremist views.”
Bilal Abdullah, 28, and Mohammed Asha, 27, will go on trial this year for conspiracy to cause explosions.
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18 months !!! why i am i not suprised . the pandering to muslims just goes on and on. now this guy who knew what was about to happen gets almost nothing. if these scumbags had made their plot work how many would have died ? islam relgion of peace . yeah right.
howard, nanaimo, canada
So, the brother of a bomber, with "no sign of (you) being an extremist or party to extremist views" is deported. An extremist cleric, who plots and urges attacks on the UK cannot be deported as it is against his human rights. Am I the only person confused by this?
Dr S.T. Francis, Staines,
Jim
Maybe by 'grassing ' your brother you may have infact saved his life too.
By not doing so would seem to indicate you agreed with his 'cause'
rob, derby, uk
Nice to know that the NHS recruits such great doctors, fully dedicated to our wellbeing!
Peter, London,
These brothers never knew the true Islam. Some underground sources are misleading the Muslim youth, brainwashing them and preparing them for their unknown hidden agenda. These youth are sacrificing their lives and killing many innocent people and defaming their own religion and its followers. Why authorities fail to bring the real culprits to justice? The fire should be extinguished from its source.
Sharaf, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Has anyone asked himself who in his right mind (i.e. not mentally sick) would go and risk his life (or douse himself with gasoline and set himself ablaze) for some vague reason or in order to kill some unknown civilians in Glasgow. The Glasgow Airport attack was utterly idiotic, even from the point of view of those who hate British policies in Iraq. If Dr. Ahmed, who reportedly died from severe burns, was not a depressive person, then perhaps the facts as presented to us, were slightly different. Perhaps we have not been told the full truth about the events. Going by what we have been told about 9/11 and the bombings of 7/7, how can we believe what the police and the press have been saying?
Why have some people reported to have seen THREE people in the jeep that drove into the Glasgow Airport? What happened to the third? Why have some people reported that the car was already aflame when hitting the Airport? How could a severely burnt person fight the police, as claimed?
Elias Davidsson, Reykjavik, Iceland
This man was probably in a terrible predicament if he did read the e-mail afterwards as any damage had already been done. Even though the prosecution agree he didn't read it, everybody assumes he is as bad as his brother in some way. As a Doctor, he is obviously an intelligent man so he probably knew he would be tarred by the same brush. Personally, if he does not hold the same murderous views as his brother, I can't see why he couldn't stay here. After all, you can actually stab a headmaster to death and be allowed to stay. His only crime was not telling anybody after the plot had been foiled; his brother didn't think he could be trusted with the truth before the event or he wouldn't have lied to him about what he was up to.
Sari, Hampshire, England
Do many respondents actually bother to read what was reported before airing their opinions?The judge said "It is clear you did not receive it (the e-mail) until afterwards" At the time of the attack all news agencies reported that his brother was arrested at the scene. The question then is not would I shop my brother to avoid an act of terror? but, is an 18 month sentence fair for witholding information which could not affect the act and when your (dying) brother had already been caught?
Fred, london,
Why did he send his brother email? He Cannot phone him from the phone they found!!
Mousa, Hull,
Just 18 months for this outraged incident. Imagine the consequences if he indeed succeed in the London Nightclub mission and airport mission. How many innocent people would have lost their lives?. Is the Judge in this case gone nuts or dont understand the consequence of his crime.
As long as British Justice became "Tourism Guide" and British Jails became "Vacation Spots", we can expect more such thing from those terrorists.
Unless UK strengthen the justice system, right from the street crime to terrorism, it is not a safer place.
Srini, Herndon, USA
18m months for being part of an act of war against this country!
Sums so many things up.
And IF the plane bombers are found guilty...what will happen with their Wives who, we have heard direct evidence of this already, knew about what they were going to do?
Nothing of course. Nothing will happen. Because we're fighting an enemy we're PC brainwashed into 'respecting and understanding and not wanting to annoy'!!
Dave B, Stoke, UK
Note, that he is going to be deported only because he wants to go back, otherwise he could stay here and continue as an NHS doctor. I think an Imam has told him that his stay here in the UK will harm the cause of Islam, and its best if he left for the good of allah.
Folks get used to this. Muslim populations are increasing, and we are going to have more terrorism, more and more intrusive security as a consequence, more abatement of our historic liberties, as well as economic and social disturbance. Thisis the case all over the world - we are not going to be exceptions.
When an immigrant culture is unable to live in harmony with the host, then there is but one humane solution that will avoid a civil war.
DaveP, Beverley, UK
@Trevor, Tunbridge Wells
Although I've not seen the evidence from the trial the prosecution seemed pretty convinced that he hadn't seen the message, it could be something as simple that he was at work during the time in question. As a doctor (and judging by his age a pretty junior one) he'd have to do long and antisocial hours. I think that if he could show the court the hospital records that says he was working that would show he had little opportunity to check email.
Chris Hall, Clapham, London, UK
Jim of Exeter
Blood is indeed thicker then water. However, we are in a war, and loyalty to the family has to be sacrificed for loyalty to the nation.
If we all behaved in the manner you prescribe, then we will lose the war, and you, your family and all of us, will be a conquered and enslaved people. There is thus no conflict between loyalty to the nation and loyalty to the family - the personal one and the greater family of the nation.
There is an exception - when the nation is ruled by a Qusiling government.
DaveP, Beverley, UK
Jim, eXETER
Uhmm.. Let''s see what is more imoral... to let many innocent people die or to denoune your derranged brother who is about to comit mass murder...
Mentalities such as your is what has allowed a small group of madmen to pose a threat to the rest of us. I always question how many people have been and are aware of the planning attrocities and keep quiet. In my book people who keep quiet are just as guilty as those who comit the crime.
RG, Cary, NC, US
An 18 month sentence is a disgrace. The intent was to kill, the crime should have been conspiracy to commit mass murder. The fact that they did not succeed is not an issue here. British justice is a mockery.
Muhammad, Cambridgshire,
Shame on him !!
Ian Payne, WALSALL,
Gives a whole new meaning to the words "Health Service", doesn't it?
leila , manchester, uk
RE: âItâs about time that we give up our lives and our families for the sake of Islam to please Allah.â
Could someone please explain how such an educated man could come to have such a 'distorted' view of Islam, and of what is pleasing to Allah?
Bruce, Phoenix, AZ, USA
And yet there are still some starry-eyed fools who think a multicultural society will work!
Oxford Don, Oxford, UK
That seems a strange comment Jim from exeter. What say if it were my brother and you were one of those waiting in the airport lounge?
I love my brother dearly and have no particular liking for the police or the system of government but If i knew he was intent on killing and burning innocent people then I would certainly do anything to stop him, including informing on him.
What is more I would expect him to do the same if i had lost my mind also! Even if you ignore the fact that it is a crime against society to say nothing, personally I would consider it a crime against my own family to stand by and become inculcated in murderous lunacy. How can you say it is a reasonable excuse when you know that innoent people will die and you allowed it to happen?
AJ, Ruzzafa, spain
What is the weather like on your planet, Jim of Exeter? What complete and utter nonsense about "grassing in my brother"
You would feel differently if you had been caught by the 7/7 bombers.
Rob, London, UK
How was it confirmed / established that he opened the email after the attack and not before ? That sounds incredibly convenient for the defendant to say that ?
Is his 'good word' being taken for that or is it somehow confirmed by some computer means by a date stamp of when he read the email. I'm not accusing the UK judiciary of being simple / disconnected from reality or illiterate in modern means and methods of course, there is no need, we all know they are.
Trevor , Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Hopefully, Jim, you are accessing this site from a reasonably secure institution, what morals exist that someone can knowingly allow other innocent people to die just because the killer is your brother?
pete turner, coventry, uk
I wouldn't grass in my brother, and it's plain wrong in my view that failing to do so is a crime. Blood is very much thicker than water, and that is a 'reasonable excuse' for keeping quiet in my book. Compulsion to do the immoral should have no place in law
Jim, eXETER,