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London plot suspect escapes in Pakistan
Sun Dec 16, 2007 1:46am EST
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A Pakistani-British man
suspected of involvement in an al Qaeda plot to blow
up U.S.-bound airliners over the Atlantic has escaped
from custody in the Pakistani capital, a senior
official said on Sunday.
Rashid Rauf escaped on Saturday from outside an
Islamabad court where police had escorted him for an
extradition hearing.
"We're trying our best to re-arrest him," said
Interior Ministry spokesman, Brigadier Javed Iqbal
Cheema, speaking more than 20 hours after Rauf's
disappearance.
Cheema gave no details on how Rauf escaped but he said
the government had set up an inquiry to investigate
the incident and report back within 48 hours.
"This has to be sorted out, how it happened and who
were involved in it," he said.
Rauf's lawyer said his client's flight was a mystery.
"What made him do that when there was no major case
against him and secondly, how did he manage this as 10
or 12 armed policemen were guarding him. It is a
mystery," lawyer Hasmat Habib told Reuters.
Arrested in Pakistan in August 2006, Rauf was
identified by Pakistani officials as a key figure in a
plot to blow up airliners traveling from London to the
United States.
But his case ran into a legal quagmire and was being
handled by higher and lower courts simultaneously.
An anti-terrorism court dropped terrorism charges
against him, citing a lack of evidence, and referred
lesser charges, including the possession of
explosives, to the civil court.
But a high court in Lahore, acting on a plea from the
government, later suspended the trial in a move aimed
at getting the case referred back to the
anti-terrorism court.
Reports after his arrest said Rauf had left Britain
and traveled to Pakistan in 2002 after the murder in
Britain of an uncle.
Britain sought his extradition in connection with the
murder, and Pakistan agreed to consider the request.
(Reporting by Kamran Haider; editing by Alistair
Scrutton and Roger Crabb)
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---------------
Jusfiq Hadjar gelar Sutan Maradjo Lelo
Allah yang disembah orang Islam tipikal dan yang digambarkan oleh al-Mushaf itu
dungu, buas, kejam, keji, ganas, zalim lagi biadab hanyalah Allah fiktif.
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