37 dead in Iraq attacks

Jul 31 2005 By Karen Attwood, The Sunday Sun

UN votes to extend al Qaida sanctions

The United Nations Security Council has voted to expand sanctions against al Qaida and the Taliban to their affiliates and splinter groups and clamp down on terrorist financing.

Sanctions require all 191 UN member states to impose a travel ban and arms embargo against Afghanistan's former Taliban leaders, Osama bin Laden and his al Qaida terrorist network and those "associated with" them, and to freeze their financial assets.

The new resolution adopted by the council spells out for the first time who is included among al Qaida and the Taliban's associates. People who participate in financing, planning, facilitating, preparing or perpetrating acts to support the outlawed groups or who recruit and provide weapons to bin Laden, al Qaida, the Taliban "or any cell, affiliate, splinter group or derivative thereof" will now face sanctions.

Carter has praise for British police over swoops

The former US President Jimmy Carter has praised British police and intelligence services for their "rapidity" in apprehending the four suspects sought in connection with the failed July 21 attacks in London.

The former president said America stood united with Britain against terrorism.

Speaking yesterday at the Baptist World Alliance's centenary conference in Birmingham, the 80-year-old called on people of all faiths who believed in freedom, peace, justice, hospitality and alleviation of suffering to work together in a bid to defeat terrorism.

He said: "I think if you concentrate on these things, that would make the united front against terrorism more effective.

"We should try and identify the things that divide us and set them aside."

Mr Carter reiterated his belief that the invasion of Iraq was "unnecessary and unjust" and that Guantanamo Bay was an "embarrassment".

"I think what's going on in Guantanamo Bay and other places is a disgrace to the USA," he said.

"I wouldn't say it's the cause of terrorism but it has given impetus and excuses to potential terrorists to lash out at our country and justify their despicable acts.

"It may be an aggravating factor but it's not the basis of terrorism."

Fears for bomb suspect

The family of a British al Qaida suspect reportedly being held in Zambia have said they fear the US is seeking to extradite him to Guantanamo Bay where they believe he may be tortured.

Haroon Rashid Aswat is wanted in connection with the London suicide bombings which he reportedly masterminded, but Scotland Yard has played down the claims.

Aswat, who grew up in West Yorkshire, was detained last week in Zambia and is being held in the capital Lusaka for his alleged role in setting up a terror camp in the US state of Oregon, according to an American newspaper.

In a statement released yesterday Aswat's family said: "We are extremely concerned, distressed and disappointed by the attitude of the British government and the FCO in not providing consular access to Haroon.

"It is very worrying that after more than 10 days the British government is still unable to verify that the British citizen detained is actually Haroon.

"Our son, albeit estranged for many years, is surely entitled to the presumption of innocence as any other British citizen." Human rights lawyer Gareth Peirce said she was concerned the US Government was trying to extradite the British-born Muslim to the US or elsewhere.

"In the light of the way the Americans have treated UK citizens held in custody in recent years the family is fearful their son may be extradited to the US to face torture," she said.

"The family are desperate as the Foreign Office appears to be utterly failing in any representation of this young man's interests."

Aswat, 30, had reportedly been under US surveillance weeks before the July 7 bombings.

Sources said that British authorities had denied a US request to capture him before the blasts because he was a British citizen.

The Foreign Office said it was not aware of any such request.

Aswat is reportedly wanted by police in Britain after making some 20 calls to two of the four suicide bombers. US authorities want to question him about a 1999 plot to set up an al Qaida terror camp in Oregon.