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Terror suspect may be extradited

from Cathy (cathyvpreece@aol.com)

BBC News

Terror suspect may be extradited

A Moroccan terror suspect wanted by Spanish authorities is being held in London, Scotland Yard has confirmed.

Farid Hilali, 35, is being held under a European arrest warrant from Spain and has been linked with the Madrid train bombings and 11 September attacks.

On Monday he appeared before Bow Street magistrates for the first part of the extradition process, and was remanded in custody until 5 July.

He has been held at Belmarsh prison on immigration charges since September.

A spokesman for Bow Street magistrates court confirmed the extradition charge related to Mr Hilali's alleged "participation in a terrorist organisation contrary to the laws of the government in Spain".

Terror suspect

Mr Hilali was originally arrested in September 2003 in Kennington, south London, under the Terrorism Act 2000.

He was not charged but was discovered to have entered the country illegally and was detained at London's Belmarsh prison.

The Moroccan is suspected of helping to plot the 11 September attacks and was an alleged accomplice in the Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people in March, the Times reported.

He is also thought to be known by the alias "Shakur" and was named on an indictment in Spain last year for allegedly using the country as a base to plot the 11 September attacks, the newspaper reported.

The indictment also included al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Fast-track process

European arrest warrants were created to improve cross-border cooperation.

The warrants, which came into force in Britain on 1 January, are part of a new fast-track extradition process.

Under the procedure, extradition could now take three months, compared to six months under the previous system.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/3853153.stm
Published: 2004/06/30 13:02:04 GMT
© BBC MMIV

(posted 7211 days ago)

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