Akshardham Temple 
Posted on 05/28/2004 6:45:41 PM PDT by CarrotAndStick
AHMEDABAD: The main conspirator of the terrorist attack on Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar, Abu Hamza, was arrested in a pre-dawn raid by the Scotland Yard in London on Thursday.
The radical Muslim cleric — Abu Hamza al-Mazri — was nabbed on charges of aiding terrorists by plotting to set up an al-Qaeda training camp in the US and also for supporting a hostage-situation that had taken place in Yemen in 1998. Four persons were killed in the hostage drama.
Abu Hamza was arrested by the London police at Washington's request and the US is seeking his extradition. Hamza is named as an absconder in the Akshardham attack case. Sources said the Crime Branch has also unearthed his link in the serial bomb blast case that took place aboard AMTS buses on May 29, 2002.
This development in Britain has got the Ahmedabad city police, especially the Crime Branch, sit up and take notice. Sources told TNN that efforts are afoot to seek help from London police in the matter. Additional commissioner of police (crime) D G Vanzara told TNN: “Formal and informal enquiries have been initiated in connection with Hamza's arrest and his links with the Akshardham case. We are following the developments relating to Hamza closely.”
The attack on Akshardham had taken place on September 24, 2002, when two gunmen entered the sprawling temple compound and opened fire from automatic weapons — AK 47s and hand grenades — on devotees.
A total of 34 persons, including three security personnel and two NSG commandos, had been killed in this attack before the terrorists were shot by NSG commandos.
Investigations carried out by the Anti-Terrorist Squad had revealed that the two suicide attackers were Pakistani nationals belonging to the terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.
A year later on August 29, 2003, the Gujarat DGP handed over investigations of this case to the Crime Branch after it arrested five persons from Ahmedabad for allegedly helping the two terrorists in selecting the target, conducting recce and carrying out the attack.
Another accused, Chand Khan, was placed under arrest by the Crime Branch after being arrested by the Jammu and Kashmir police.
The investigating agency in its chargesheet in the case named Abu Hamza of Riyadh as one of the main conspirators. The Crime Branch had alleged that the plot to attack Akshardham was hatched to avenge the communal riots in Gujarat.
The chargesheet said that the plot was hatched in Saudi Arabia and that the terrorist attack in Gujarat had been planned by Abu Hamza and Abu Sifiyan of Riyadh along with Abu Talah, a resident of Jeddah.
They allegedly took the help of one Salim Shaikh who worked in Riyadh but hailed from Dariapur in Ahmedabad. Salim was among the first to be arrested while the other three are named as absconders in the case.
Just hours after police arrested Abu Hamza in London, US officials announced his indictment in the Manhattan federal court on charges that could entail death penalty.
Abu Hamza, alias Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, has been a source of concern for US authorities for his preaching and words of praise for Osama bin Laden and the September 11 attack on WTO.
The Egyptian-born cleric, a subject of controversies in Britain, has one eye and a steel hook in place of his right hand. These are reminders of his days with the Afghan Mujahideen, fighting against the Soviet occupation in the 1980s.
Akshardham Temple
I think I have posted too many articles on India.Hope this is the last.
Maybe it's just me, but Britain seems to give amnesty to any terrorist anywhere.You should see the way this guy organises seminars on British streets, cordoned off by his fellow thugs.The whole sight is despicable.Very sad.
Fri May 28,1:45 PM ET Followers of radical Islamic cleric Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Masri pray in the street, outside theFinsbury Park mosque, in north London.(AFP/Odd Andersen)
Fri May 28,11:47 AM ET A British police officer watches over British Muslims as they gather for Friday prayers outside the Finsbury Park Mosque, London, May 28, 2004. Radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri preached from the mosque until January 2003 when he was banned and the mosque closed and boarded up. Abu Hamza had continued to hold Friday prayer meetings on the street outside, sometimes preaching to up to 150 supporters. Abu Hamza, an admirer of Osama bin Laden (news - web sites), was remanded in custody on Thursday, charged by the United States with aiding terrorists by plotting to set up an al Qaeda camp in America and supporting a hostage-taking in Yemen. REUTERS/David Bebber
I'd be cool with kicking Captain Hook here to the Indians for trial when we've done with him. This monster should face justice everywhere, and if the Indians dare to try him, they ought to be able to.
As far as where he serves his time, I don't believe that India has a death penalty (and the charges he faces in the USA are not capital), so anywhere's equally good with me. When he's paid his debt to the first nation, the next on the list gets his goat-smelling carcase. And so on down the line....
The only unacceptable outcome is for he to walk free.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
why are they raising their buttocks to each other? Is it some sort of Islamic Act Up?
Why did this arrest occur now?
These clowns need a canister of CS for blocking a thoroughfare.
I'd say to try and break up what is coming but
it is rather late for that.
Still hope springs eternal.
A few fire hoses would help to take the bipedal detruitus off the street.
I'm tired of reading variations of this last paragraph.
"The Egyptian-born cleric, a subject of controversies in Britain, has one eye and a steel hook in place of his right hand. These are reminders of his days with the Afghan Mujahideen, fighting against the Soviet occupation in the 1980s."
That's BS. There are internet pictures of this guy with two hands and two eyes long after the Soviets pulled out of Afghanistan. I'll be emailing the author of this piece when I'm done posting.
There was a similar article the other day on the CNN site about this and here is my email to them.
"In an article today on the web site, contributed to by Phil Hirschkorn regarding the British Muslin Cleric located at
http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/05/27/hamza.indict/index.html
the article says Abu Hamza -- who says he lost both hands and an eye in a land mine explosion while fighting the Soviet-backed government in Afghanistan -- has continued to preach on the pavement outside the mosque since it was shut down in 2003."
The truth is that there are plenty of pictures of him by the press well after the Soviets left Afghanistan with both hands and both eyes. Second, unless he was walking on his hands when he hit the landmine, you don't lose two hands and an eye. Odd there are no lower extremity wounds? It's more likely he got caught while making one of his own bombs. Why prop up his lie? You spread the myth for him making it sound like he did something patriotic for his country?"
On the other hand Greg Palkot did a great article on this weenie on the Fox web site saying he's lying about having a little problem in Afghanistan. My email to him.
"Nicely done. Especially the part about his saying he lost two arms and an eye on a land mine fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan. There are plenty of pictures of him after the Soviets pulled out with two eyes and two hands. Besides, how do you lose two hands and an eye and have no lower extremity wounds after stepping on a landmine? Was he walking on his hands?
His wounds are obviously self inflicted and spreading his gobblygook about being a hero in Afghanistan fighting the Soviets only contributes to terrorists propaganda. Thank you for being so throrough."
When the press lies or is irresponsible in their reporting because they are too lazy to do their research and they take terrorists for their word, they need to be called on it. I'm calling them every chance I get. I hope everyone at Free Republic is also.
Captain Hook lol. Thats funny, except the Captain Hook from Peter Pan looked a lot better than this chump. He was more civilized too.
A much better analogy would be to one of the shadier characters in Robert Louis Stevenson's masterpiece, "Treasure Island." I haven't read the novel since childhood, but I'm sure Long John Silver wasn't the only fellow in there with a physical disfigurement.
First of all, why would this mutant be considered "patriotic", even if he did join the mujahideen in Afghanistan during the '80s? Was Rambo exhibiting patriotism when he decided to destroy 50 Antonov aircraft, and decimate an entire Russian devision with only a machine gun and a bomb made out of used toothpick?
I didn't think so! The guy's from Egypt, not Afghanistan. The Arabs like to think that they had something to do with turning the tide in that war. The fact is, the only thing they contributed to the fight was the blood money they didn't earn from sitting on huge deposits of crude oil.
I second you on the last motion. FReepers-especially those with a particular interest in the Middle East and the spread of virulent Islamism-need to step up to the plate. I know that we're capable of sending a message to the hardcore left in the mass media if we only band together and fight their pernicious influence over the minds of the viewing public.
Abu Hamza has no hands... bomb-making mishap, I believe. (If I ever meet him, I will ask if he was a thief judged under sharia...)
Instead of hands, he has hooks... some of the Brit tabloids call him Captain Hook as a result.
He got his hooks on the National Health!
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
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