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A British IT specialist accused of running websites to promote murder and recruit al-Qaeda terrorists has lost his battle against extradition to the United States, where lawyers say he could face the death penalty. 31-year-old Babar Ahmad, a former IT administrator for Imperial College, London was told by a district judge at Bow Street Magistrates’ Court that his case was “difficult and troubling.” But Judge Timothy Workman ruled that “none of the statutory bars apply” to refuse extradition, which has been requested by authorities in the United States. They claim that since 1997, Mr Ahmed has conspired to support terrorism by soliciting and inviting contributions via e-mails and websites to help Muslims wage a holy war. Investigators at the US department of State also accuse Mr Ahmad of being a regular e-mail contact of a Mujahideen leader, responsible for the deaths of 129 people in the Moscow theatre attack of 2002. Mr Ahmad’s family have denied the allegations and expressed regret over the judge’s decision, which means Charles Clarke, the Home Secretary, is to decide whether to uphold American’s extradition request. Mr Ahmed’s lawyers also objected to the ruling, saying their client could face the death penalty if he was sent to America to be charged under military jurisdiction. The defence added that the decision approving Ahmad to be sent to the US, made the same day the government announced new terror laws, was political and proved their client was a “scapegoat”. But in court, a diplomatic note written to Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary was produced stating that Mr Ahmad would not face the death penalty, or be sent to Guantanamo, according to The Times. Despite the assurance, Mr Ahmad’s wife, Maryam, vowed to appeal the judge’s decision, saying, “we will fight to the end, we will never give up.” His father, Ashfaq Ahmad, explained last year how he thought the charges were “ridiculous” because his “law abiding” son had never even had a parking ticket. “My son is not a terrorist – he is a junior IT support officer,” said the retired civil servant. The Ahmad family has said they will continue their legal fight to ensure other British citizens do not have to encounter what they describe as ‘a fundamental denial of human rights.’ Their protest has been endorsed by The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), which further condemned the court’s decision. “It is unacceptable that under the Extradition Treaty 2003 there is no longer any need for the US government to prove to a UK court or even to the Home Secretary that there is a prima facie case against British citizens," said Iqbal Sacranie, general secretary of the MCB. He said that the US instead “can now simply order that British citizens be plucked from our streets and thrown into US jails by making serious - and wholly unproven - allegations against them.” The case is thought to be the first test of Britain's new Extradition Treaty with the US, which came into effect last year, even though there are no reciprocal arrangements as it has yet to be ratified by the US Congress. May 19, 2005 Email this article Printer friendly page Previous Page
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