Charges against Sabeel are ‘weak’

LONDON: With charges against Mohammed Haneef dropped, questions are being raised about the charges against his cousin Sabeel Ahmed.

Sabeel, the younger brother of Kafeel Ahmed, the alleged driver of the Cherokee jeep that was rammed into Glasgow airport on June 30, was arrested the following day. Charged under Section 38(B) of Terrorism Act 2000, Sabeel is charged with “having information which he knew or believed may be of material assistance in preventing the commission by another person of an act of terrorism”.

The exact nature of the information that Sabeel is accused of knowing has not been announced, but reports suggest that he received e-mails from Kafeel which included a code word that led to his will. Earlier reports had suggested that Haneef’s SIM card had been found in Sabeel’s possession, and the jeep used was seen parked outside Sabeel’s Liverpool home weeks before the attack.

Experts consider the charges against Sabeel to be ‘weak’ and may be hard to stick unless there is sufficient evidence. Other suspects arrested under the same charge for the foiled plots were eventually released. Meanwhile, India has secured consular access to Sabeel. He finally met an Indian government official on Sunday for an hour.