A UK terror suspect whose trial on terror charges reconvened Wednesday in Kenya served jail time with one of the men who carried out the 2005 London bomb attacks and may have been influenced by him, a British intelligence report reveals.
The report, which was
shared with Kenyan counter-terror authorities and was obtained by
CNN,
suggests that Jermaine Grant developed a relationship with the London
bomber, Jermaine Lindsay, while they were held at a London facility.
British intelligence officials believe Grant was radicalized during that prison term.
He is facing three counts of conspiracy to commit a felony.
A source said the
facility where Grant and Lindsay met was Feltham Young Offenders
Institution, the same prison in which U.S. "shoe bomber" Richard Reid
was allegedly radicalized, and where July 21 attack leader Muktar Said
Ibrahim did time.
Grant was being held at Feltham for non-terror-related offenses, the source said.
Grant is accused of
having connections with the al Qaeda-linked Somali group Al Shabaab, and
then being dispatched as part of a cell to carry out attacks in Kenya's
port city of Mombasa.
He's suspected of targeting hotels frequented by Western tourists in the city.
Police allege he worked
with Lindsay's widow, British national Samantha Lewthwaite, who is also
wanted by Kenyan police on terror charges but remains at large.
Grant, who was arrested
in late 2011, is being tried in a court complex within a maximum
security prison because Lewthwaite hatched a plan to break him out,
Kenyan authorities say.
The alleged jailbreak plot has contributed to numerous delays in judicial proceedings.
Kenyan counterterror
police say they found the same kind of bomb-making materials as were
used in the London bombings at the last known residence of Lewthwaite in
Mombasa.
Among the seized items police presented to reporters were firearms, munitions and chemicals including hydrogen peroxide.
'Bomb-making materials'
The court in Mombasa
heard Tuesday that British counterterror officers who flew in to monitor
proceedings had brought with them a large volume of evidence prepared
by the counterterrorism team of London's Metropolitan Police.
Grant's defense team
asked the court to give them more time to study the evidence, which was
provided to them that day, saying they would need to consult technical
experts.
Lawyer Chacha Mwita also
objected to the court hearing the testimony of three Metropolitan
Police officers before the defense team has time to study the reports.
Warda Breik, believed to be Grant's Kenyan wife, is also charged in the case.
She arrived in court Tuesday flanked by close family members, including her mother.
The July 7, 2005, bombings targeting London's public transit network killed 52 people and the four bombers.
--Kenya (CNN)
lets know your views about this
No comments:
Post a Comment