By KATIE FRETLAND
The Associated Press
LONDON- Investigators said Monday that 11 of the 23 suspects being held in the foiled plot to blow up several trans-Atlantic flights have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Also, the head of the country’s anti-terror branch said bomb-making equipment and martyrdom videos on computers were discovered during the probe.
Earlier, lawyers for a female suspect detained in the alleged plot asked a British court for a hearing to review the order keeping her in custody. Police have held the woman, identified only as “Detainee J,” since Aug. 10.
Lawyers representing the woman went to High Court to ask for the hearing to force judges to reveal the reasons for her continued detention.
Under Britain’s terror laws, suspects can be held for as long as 28 days without charge, but police must convince a judge of the reasons to continue to detain someone for questioning. The extensions are generally granted incrementally.
“Detainee J” has already had her time in custody extended once.
“My client seeks full reasons for the continued decision to extend the warrants in this case,” her lawyer, Saghir Hussain, said in a statement outside the courthouse.
London’s Metropolitan Police said it could not confirm if officers would make any application to continue to detain the two suspects due to be released Monday under the current deadlines. On Wednesday, detention orders for another 21 people are due to expire, and police will either have to release or charge them, or ask a judge for an extension.
Police investigating the alleged plot have gathered “substantial material” as evidence, Home Secretary John Reid said. He indicated some individuals could be charged with criminal offenses in the next few days as a result of the inquiry, but refused to disclose specific details, in keeping with the tightlipped nature of the operation.
In Pakistan, law enforcement authorities are continuing to interrogate Rashid Rauf, a Briton of Pakistani descent, over his alleged key role in the plot, officials said.
Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao said British police were conducting inquiries in Pakistan, but were not involved in questioning Rauf.
Tighter security regulations on passengers carrying hand luggage and liquids onboard planes were ushered in at airports after police announced that they had foiled the alleged plot.
It was revealed by U.S. officials that authorities believed the suspects planned to detonate liquid explosives aboard commercial jets.
--------------------------------------
Related:
By The Associated Press
Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service on Monday released details of the charges against 11 suspected in connection with an alleged plot to destroy airliners.
Ages where available are from a list of suspects previously published by the Bank of England:
___
Ahmed Abdullah Ali, aka Abdullah Ali Ahmen Khan, 25; Tanvir Hussain, 25; Umar Islam, aka Brian Young, 28; Arafat Waheed Khan, 25; Assad Ali Sarwar, 26; Adam Khatib, 19; Ibrahim Savant, 25 and Waheed Zaman, 22.
Each was charged with conspiracy to commit murder, and a second charge of preparing to commit terrorism, i.e. “their intention to smuggle the component parts of improvised explosive devices onto aircraft and assemble and detonate them on board.”
___
A 17-year-old, name not disclosed, was charged with having a book on improvised explosives devices, some suicide notes and wills with the identities of persons prepared to commit acts of terrorism, and a map of Afghanistan containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.
___
Cossar Ali, 23, and Mehran Hussain were charged with information which he or she “knew or believed might be of material assistance in preventing the commission of another person ... of an act of terrorism and failed to disclose it as soon as reasonably practicable.”