UK convicts Al Queda fundraisers
A Midlands court yesterday sentenced two men convicted of a sophisticated credit card scam which raised money for terrorism.
A UK Court yesterday convicted two Algerian nationals following an eight week trial in the Midlands city of Leicester. 31 year old Brahim Benmerzouga,and Baghdad Meziane, 38, had denied activities to raise funds for Al Queda. The pair, the first to be convicted in the UK of raising funds for Al Queda, were both jailed for 11 years. The Judge, Curtis, J, said that they had not been directly involved in any deaths but that raising money for terrorism was tantamount to being involved in terrorism. The two were originally charged with being members of a proscribed organisation but the charges relating to that were withdrawn because of technical problems with the wording of The Terrorism Act 2000.
Meziane, in Britain seeking asylum, was in charge of producing and distributing false passports. Benmerzouga collected and distributed credit card details which were passed to associates around Europe allowing the fraudulent raising of at least GBP200,000.
The arrests during 2002 had caused consternation in Leicester which has a large Muslim population and employs many workers of non-UK origin in shoe, lace and clothing factories. Local religious leaders immediately distanced themselves from the causes the pair espoused and denied any close contact with them.
Nearly 30 others were arrested in the UK more than two dozen have been convicted of offences or detained by immigration officials for alleged offences. Police forces in Afghanistan, the US, the Netherlands, France, Canada, Belgium and Spain helped in the investigation which included taking more than 2000 witness statements.
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