Ruling expected in Ahmad extradition case

(News Today) - The European Court of Human Rights is expected to rule Thursday on the extradition case of British terror suspect Babar Ahmad to the United States.

If the court rules against Ahmad, he would be the first terror suspect to be extradited from Britain to the United States on terror charges since September 11, 2001.

Ahmad, 36, was indicted by the United States in October 2004 on charges of providing material support to terrorists, conspiracy and money laundering. If convicted, he could face a life prison sentence.

Ahmad's case was the first to be handled under a new extradition agreement between Britain and the United States in 2003, which eliminated a requirement that the underlying evidence supporting the charges be presented in support of an extradition request.

The indictment against Ahmad, returned by a U.S. federal grand jury, accuses him of conspiring to provide support to terrorists, including helping to ship gas masks to the Taliban and using U.S.-based websites to raise money for Chechen leader Shamil Basayev.

Basayev claimed responsibility for the 2004 Beslan school massacre in Russia. He was killed two years later by Russian agents.

In addition to the conspiracy charge, Ahmad is charged with providing material support to terrorists; conspiracy to kill, kidnap or injure people in a foreign country; and money laundering.

All of the charges except money laundering carry a possible life sentence; the money laundering charge carries up to 20 years in prison.

In addition, the indictment accuses Ahmad of maintaining several websites that posted messages saying "the best way of helping Jihad and the Mujahadeen is by actually going to the lands of Jihad and physically fighting.

"The first and most important thing that Muslims can do in the West is to donate money," the websites state, according to an affidavit supporting his extradition.

It also allegedly directs readers to obtain firearms training and, where permissible, obtain an assault rifle.

"Military training is an Islamic obligation, not an option."

The websites, according to the indictment, provided instruction for the surreptitious transfer of funds to the Chechen Mujahadeen and the Taliban, and instructions for travel to Pakistan and Afghanistan to fight with these groups.

Source : CNN

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