05/01/2006

British terror suspect facing US extradition

A British terror suspect is facing extradition to the US, following a court ruling.

Haroon Rashid Aswat has been accused of trying to establish a terrorist training camp in Bly, Oregon, between 1999 and 2000.

Mr Aswat, 31, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, was arrested in Lusaka, Zambia last July and deported. He has consistently denied the charges.

At Bow Street Magistrates Court today, District Judge Timothy Workman ruled that Mr Aswat could be extradited to the US.

During earlier hearings, the court had heard how Mr Aswat could have been sent to Guantanamo Bay if he was sent to the US.

A US legal expert also told the court that Mr Aswat faced an "overwhelming risk" of being subjected to special measures, such as solitary confinement.

However, Mr Workman said that a diplomatic note from the US embassy in London, guaranteeing that Mr Aswat would receive the "full panoply of rights and protections" and would be prosecuted in a federal, rather than military court, had been received last month.

Mr Aswat's lawyer said that he would be appealing the decision.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke has up to two months to approve the court's decision.

(KMcA)

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