Abdul Waheed (suspected aircraft bomb plotter)
Encyclopedia
Abdul Waheed or Wahid, formerly Donald Douglas Stewart-Whyte (born June 1986) is one of the suspects arrested in the United Kingdom on August 10, 2006, in connection with the 2006 transatlantic aircraft terrorist plot.
On 9 August he had in his possession a Baikal
8 mm pistol
, contrary to section 5 (1) of the Firearms Act 1968
.
On 9 August he had in his possession a magazine clip with 10 rounds of ammunition and a silencer without holding a firearms certificate, contrary to section 1 (1) of the Firearms Act 1968
.
Donald Stewart-Whyte, 23, was found not guilty of both conspiracy to murder on aircraft and conspiracy to murder.
, East Sussex. He was raised as a Methodist
in the so-called stockbroker belt of Buckinghamshire
, attending Dr Challoner's Grammar School
in Amersham
after being expelled from John Hampden Grammar School
in High Wycombe
. He left school without completing A-levels, and is reported to have worked at a hairdresser's, at electrical retailer Currys
, and was hoping to study art at college.
His father, Douglas Stewart-Whyte, who died in 2000, was an agent for the Conservative Party
in Westminster
, and his mother, Dorothy, taught physical education. His half-sister, Heather Stewart-Whyte
, from his father's first marriage, is a successful model and former face of Gucci
, who was married to Yannick Noah
, the French tennis star. Heather told reporters that she has never met her half-brother.
Waheed married Fatima, a Muslim
woman from Morocco
, six weeks before the arrests. Waheed and his wife lived with Waheed's mother in her home in High Wycombe
. Police made the arrest when Waheed pulled up to the house in his Nissan Micra on August 10. His mother was on holiday at the time.
and 29-year-old Waseem Kayani, who were also arrested. He is reported to have begun attending twice-monthly meetings with Ali and Kayani in Walthamstow
, east London, where many of the arrests were concentrated. A former girlfriend, Faith Hall, told the Daily Mirror that Waheed had first become friends with some Muslim youths two years ago, after being assaulted by some Asian teenagers. He tracked one of them down to ask why they had attacked him, and they became friends.
Suspect arrested by British authorities.
7 September
Appearance at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court. Charged with preparing acts of terrorism. He is also charged with possession of a firearm, silencer and magazine clip.
8th September
Donald Stewart-Whyte, 23, was found not guilty of both conspiracy to murder on aircraft and conspiracy to murder.
Charges
Between 1 January and 10 August 2006, with the intention of committing acts of terrorism, preparing to smuggle parts of improvised explosive devices on to aircraft and assemble and detonate them on board.On 9 August he had in his possession a Baikal
Baikal
Baykal commonly refers to Lake Baikal in southern Siberia, Russia.Baykal or Baikal may also refer to:-Russia:*Baykal, Irkutsk Oblast, an urban-type settlement*Baykal, Aurgazinsky District, Republic of Bashkortostan, a village...
8 mm pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
, contrary to section 5 (1) of the Firearms Act 1968
Firearms Act 1968
The Firearms Act of 1968 is a UK Act of Parliament controlling use and possession of firearms....
.
On 9 August he had in his possession a magazine clip with 10 rounds of ammunition and a silencer without holding a firearms certificate, contrary to section 1 (1) of the Firearms Act 1968
Firearms Act 1968
The Firearms Act of 1968 is a UK Act of Parliament controlling use and possession of firearms....
.
Donald Stewart-Whyte, 23, was found not guilty of both conspiracy to murder on aircraft and conspiracy to murder.
Background
Waheed was born in EastbourneEastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
, East Sussex. He was raised as a Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
in the so-called stockbroker belt of Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, attending Dr Challoner's Grammar School
Dr Challoner's Grammar School
Dr Challoner's Grammar School, often abbreviated to DCGS, is an Academy Grammar School of approximately 1,300 boys located in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England....
in Amersham
Amersham
Amersham is a market town and civil parish within Chiltern district in Buckinghamshire, England, 27 miles north west of London, in the Chiltern Hills. It is part of the London commuter belt....
after being expelled from John Hampden Grammar School
John Hampden Grammar School
John Hampden Grammar School is a boys' grammar school in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is named after politician and English Civil War participant John Hampden.-History:...
in High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
. He left school without completing A-levels, and is reported to have worked at a hairdresser's, at electrical retailer Currys
Currys
Currys is an electrical retailer in the United Kingdom and Ireland and is owned by Dixons Retail plc. It specialises in selling home electronics and household appliances, with 295 superstores and 73 high street stores...
, and was hoping to study art at college.
His father, Douglas Stewart-Whyte, who died in 2000, was an agent for the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
in Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
, and his mother, Dorothy, taught physical education. His half-sister, Heather Stewart-Whyte
Heather Stewart-Whyte
Heather Stewart-Whyte is a British model.-Early life:Born in East Sussex, England, Stewart-Whyte found success in the late 1980s and early 1990s, garnering several runway shows for Versace, Armani, Saint-Laurent and Lagerfeld...
, from his father's first marriage, is a successful model and former face of Gucci
Gucci
The House of Gucci, better known simply as Gucci , is an Italian fashion and leather goods label, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by French company PPR...
, who was married to Yannick Noah
Yannick Noah
Yannick Noah is a former professional tennis player from France. He is best remembered for being the last French man to win the French Open in 1983, and as a highly-successful captain of France's Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams...
, the French tennis star. Heather told reporters that she has never met her half-brother.
Waheed married Fatima, a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
woman from Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, six weeks before the arrests. Waheed and his wife lived with Waheed's mother in her home in High Wycombe
High Wycombe
High Wycombe , commonly known as Wycombe and formally called Chepping Wycombe or Chipping Wycombe until 1946,is a large town in Buckinghamshire, England. It is west-north-west of Charing Cross in London; this figure is engraved on the Corn Market building in the centre of the town...
. Police made the arrest when Waheed pulled up to the house in his Nissan Micra on August 10. His mother was on holiday at the time.
Conversion to Islam
Waheed is reported to have become interested in Islam because many of his friends were Muslims, but it was allegedly only after he converted that he came to know 27-year-old Shazad Khuram AliShazad Khuram Ali
Shazad Khuram Ali is one of the suspects arrested in the UK in connection to the 2006 transatlantic aircraft terrorist plot in the United Kingdom, and one of the nineteen whose accounts were frozen by the Bank of England.-Timeline:...
and 29-year-old Waseem Kayani, who were also arrested. He is reported to have begun attending twice-monthly meetings with Ali and Kayani in Walthamstow
Walthamstow
Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross...
, east London, where many of the arrests were concentrated. A former girlfriend, Faith Hall, told the Daily Mirror that Waheed had first become friends with some Muslim youths two years ago, after being assaulted by some Asian teenagers. He tracked one of them down to ask why they had attacked him, and they became friends.
Timeline
10 AugustSuspect arrested by British authorities.
7 September
Appearance at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court. Charged with preparing acts of terrorism. He is also charged with possession of a firearm, silencer and magazine clip.
8th September
Donald Stewart-Whyte, 23, was found not guilty of both conspiracy to murder on aircraft and conspiracy to murder.
Further reading
- "'Air plot' suspects: Names released", BBC News, August 11, 2006, retrieved August 13, 2006.
- Fisher, Ian. "Shock Reverberates Among Acquaintances of the Young Suspects", The New York Times, August 12, 2006, retrieved August 14, 2006.