Sabeel returns from Britain, shielded from media

BANGALORE: Indian doctor Sabeel Ahmed, who had pleaded guilty to withholding information about his elder brother Kafeel Ahmed's plot to blow up Glasgow airport, returned here early Thursday after spending over 10 months in a British jail.

He arrived at Bangalore airport on a British Airways flight at 3.45 a.m. and was taken out of the airport by men from the Intelligence Bureau through a VIP exit to avoid the waiting media.

The 28-year-old Sabeel was sporting a beard and his mother Zakhia Ahmed, a retired doctor, was at the airport to receive him.

At their residence in upscale Banashankari locality it was a quiet welcome for Sabeel who had been in a British jail since June 30, 2007, the day his brother drove an explosive-laden jeep into the Glasgow airport terminal.

Kafeel, a mechanical engineer doing his PhD in Britain, suffered 90 percent burns and died a month later in a British hospital.

Hours before the attack, Kafeel had sent an email to Sabeel on his mission.

Zakhia told waiting reporters at her residence that it was a very emotional homecoming and appealed that Sabeel be left alone as he was resting.

"He is tired, let him sleep. Let us spend some time with him," Zakhia told reporters.

"He has just arrived, please leave him alone. He does not wish to say anything. I will let you know when he is ready to talk to you," she said when asked about Sabeel's plans.