Haroon Rashid Aswat
Encyclopedia
Haroon Rashid Aswat is a British
citizen of India
n origin. He is alleged to have ties to al Qaeda.
Police sources initially told newspapers that Aswat made some 20 mobile phone
calls to two of the suspected bombers, Mohammed Sidique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer
, one just hours before the blasts.
On July 31, 2005, following a more thorough forensic analysis of the remains of the bombers' phones, The Times
reported that:
in the United States
in 1999.
According to The Sunday Herald, by 1999, Aswat was calling himself a "hit man" for bin Laden
.
American and British counterterrorism officials believed the dead man was Aswat.
The New York Times sources said British officials objected:
Aswat subsequently evaded surveillance in South Africa, and slipped back in to Britain, though the channel port of Felixstowe
, in late June 2005.
Aswat left Britain, through London's Heathrow airport on July 7, 2005, hours before the bombers struck on that day.
On July 29, 2005, during an interview on Fox News a former US prosecutor named John Loftus
, asserted that Aswat was a double agent, backed by Britain's MI6.
Loftus claimed that MI6 intervened to protect Aswat while he was trying to evade capture.
, shortly after the bombings.
Aswat was, however, arrested in Zambia
, on July 20, 2005.
He was deported from Zambia to the UK on 7 August 2005 and arrested on his arrival.
Following Aswat's capture his family issued a press release that stated:
American justice officials sought to try Aswat for his alleged role in setting up the Oregon training camp in 1999.
A British judge approved Aswat's extradition
on November 30, 2006, discounting the concern Aswat's lawyers expressed that there was "a real risk" Aswat would face inhumane treatment in U.S. custody.
Aswat was still in detention in the United Kingdom in 2009, waiting
the results of his challenge to his extradition order
In 2010 the European Court of Human Rights
blocked the extradition orders of Aswat, Abu Hamza al Masri, Babar Ahmad and Seyla Talha Ahsan.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
citizen of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n origin. He is alleged to have ties to al Qaeda.
Possible role in the London transit bombing of July 7th, 2005
In the first two weeks following the July 7, 2005 bombingsPolice sources initially told newspapers that Aswat made some 20 mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
calls to two of the suspected bombers, Mohammed Sidique Khan and Shehzad Tanweer
Shehzad Tanweer
Shehzad Tanweer was one of four men who detonated explosives in three trains on the London Underground and one bus in central London during the 7 July 2005 London bombing...
, one just hours before the blasts.
On July 31, 2005, following a more thorough forensic analysis of the remains of the bombers' phones, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
reported that:
Possible role in setting up a training camp in Oregon in 1999
Aswat is reported to have first come to the attention of American counter-terrorism officials in 2002, because they believed he helped set up a terrorist training camp in OregonOregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1999.
According to The Sunday Herald, by 1999, Aswat was calling himself a "hit man" for bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
.
Believed KIA in Afghanistan in 2003
Aswat's passport was found on a man killed in action in Afghanistan in early 2003.American and British counterterrorism officials believed the dead man was Aswat.
Resurfaces in South Africa in 2005
Local South African newspapers who interviewed his neighbors and co-workers reported that Aswat had been living an outwardly quiet life in South Africa for at least five months.Evades capture
The New York Times quotes unnamed security officials that when Aswat's presence was brought to the attention of American authorities they wanted to subject him to an extraordinary rendition.The New York Times sources said British officials objected:
Aswat subsequently evaded surveillance in South Africa, and slipped back in to Britain, though the channel port of Felixstowe
Felixstowe
Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
, in late June 2005.
Aswat left Britain, through London's Heathrow airport on July 7, 2005, hours before the bombers struck on that day.
On July 29, 2005, during an interview on Fox News a former US prosecutor named John Loftus
John Loftus
John Joseph Loftus is an American author, former US government prosecutor and former Army intelligence officer. He is a president of The Intelligence Summit and, although he is not Jewish, a president of the Florida Holocaust Museum. Loftus also serves on the Board of Advisers to Public...
, asserted that Aswat was a double agent, backed by Britain's MI6.
Loftus claimed that MI6 intervened to protect Aswat while he was trying to evade capture.
Capture, and extradition to the United Kingdom
Aswat was reported to have been captured in PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, shortly after the bombings.
Aswat was, however, arrested in Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, on July 20, 2005.
He was deported from Zambia to the UK on 7 August 2005 and arrested on his arrival.
Following Aswat's capture his family issued a press release that stated:
Extradition to the United States
Once Aswat was transferred to the United Kingdom he was held in detention on a U.S. arrest warrant.American justice officials sought to try Aswat for his alleged role in setting up the Oregon training camp in 1999.
A British judge approved Aswat's extradition
Extradition
Extradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
on November 30, 2006, discounting the concern Aswat's lawyers expressed that there was "a real risk" Aswat would face inhumane treatment in U.S. custody.
Aswat was still in detention in the United Kingdom in 2009, waiting
the results of his challenge to his extradition order
In 2010 the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
blocked the extradition orders of Aswat, Abu Hamza al Masri, Babar Ahmad and Seyla Talha Ahsan.
External links
- Yard plays down bomb arrest reports, Daily MailDaily MailThe Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
, 28 July 2005 - As 3 Nations Consulted, Terror Suspect Eluded Arrest, The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, 28 July 2005