Snow Crash
09-12-2009, 12:03 AM
[offsite:3pu2pn2u]Prosecutors say they will seek a retrial of three men who had been accused of taking part in a plan to blow up transatlantic airliners.
Ibrahim Savant, 28, Arafat Khan, 28, and Waheed Zaman, 25, were found not guilty of plotting to bomb aircraft.
But jurors at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday, failed to decide whether they were guilty of conspiracy to murder.
Three other men were convicted of plotting to bomb planes flying between London to North America.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, said he had "considered very carefully" whether to seek the retrial.
He added that he had judged that "there remains a realistic prospect of a conviction against each defendant on the charge of conspiracy to murder" even though two previous juries had been unable to agree on the charge.
He added: "I have concluded that, in this exceptional case, it is in the public interest to seek a further retrial."
Mr Savant is from Stoke Newington, east London, and Mr Khan and Mr Zaman, are both from Walthamstow, east London.
On Monday, Abdulla Ahmed Ali, 28, of Walthamstow, Tanvir Hussain, 28, of Leyton, east London, and Assad Sarwar, 29, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, were all found guilty of conspiring to activate bombs disguised as drinks.
The arrests in connection with the plot in August 2006 caused chaos to international aviation and prompted the current restrictions on bringing liquids on board aircraft.[/offsite:3pu2pn2u]
Source (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8251879.stm)
Gotta make those charges convictions. Can't have people walking away from such potentially politically useful accusations. Public Interest of course is a polite way of saying "Her Majesty's Government demands..."
Ibrahim Savant, 28, Arafat Khan, 28, and Waheed Zaman, 25, were found not guilty of plotting to bomb aircraft.
But jurors at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday, failed to decide whether they were guilty of conspiracy to murder.
Three other men were convicted of plotting to bomb planes flying between London to North America.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, said he had "considered very carefully" whether to seek the retrial.
He added that he had judged that "there remains a realistic prospect of a conviction against each defendant on the charge of conspiracy to murder" even though two previous juries had been unable to agree on the charge.
He added: "I have concluded that, in this exceptional case, it is in the public interest to seek a further retrial."
Mr Savant is from Stoke Newington, east London, and Mr Khan and Mr Zaman, are both from Walthamstow, east London.
On Monday, Abdulla Ahmed Ali, 28, of Walthamstow, Tanvir Hussain, 28, of Leyton, east London, and Assad Sarwar, 29, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, were all found guilty of conspiring to activate bombs disguised as drinks.
The arrests in connection with the plot in August 2006 caused chaos to international aviation and prompted the current restrictions on bringing liquids on board aircraft.[/offsite:3pu2pn2u]
Source (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8251879.stm)
Gotta make those charges convictions. Can't have people walking away from such potentially politically useful accusations. Public Interest of course is a polite way of saying "Her Majesty's Government demands..."