Mohammed Asha
Encyclopedia
Mohammed Jamil Abdelqader Asha is a Jordanian doctor resident in the United Kingdom, who was a suspect arrested after the attack on Glasgow Airport on 30 June 2007
. He was charged with conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions, but on 16 December 2008 was found not guilty and acquitted on all charges.
to a family originating from Palestine
, Asha moved to Jordan
with his family in 1991. He attended Jubilee School in Amman, a school for gifted children, where he is remembered as a dedicated student who was bookish and introverted. He won prizes for his Arabic poetry and met Queen Noor, King Hussein of Jordan's
4th wife, when she visited his school. In 1998, Asha received a 98.3% overall mark in his school's leaving exams and he later gained the 3rd highest mark Jordan's national medical entrance exam.
Asha entered the University of Jordan's medical school and graduated with a medical degree in 2004. During his medical studies he used his talent for poetry to woo his future wife, Marwah Dana, a laboratory researcher. He married Marwah in 2004. In the same year, Asha competed against 500 medical students and won a place at University of Birmingham, studying neurology.
Asha moved to the UK in 2005 with his wife, and undertook post-graduate training at the Prince Phillip Hospital in Llanelli, Wales and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Shropshire. Asha then moved to Addenbrokes Hosptital in Cambridge, where he met Bilal Abdulla and Kafeel Ahmed
. In 2007, Asha lived in the village of Chesterton
with his wife and young son Anas, and worked as a junior neurosurgeon at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire
in Stoke-on-Trent
. Consultant neurosurgeon Rupert Price said he gave Asha the best reference he ever wrote and he believed that Asha was on-track to become one of Britain's top neurosurgeons.
, Asha and his wife were arrested in a rolling roadblock
on the M6 motorway
in Cheshire
. Asha explained to police that they were travelling to a jewellers, as he wished to buy an anniversary wedding ring for his wife. His wife was later released without charge and she returned to her family in Jordan. Following his arrest he was suspended from his medical duties. On 20 July 2007 Asha became the fourth suspect to be charged, with conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions, in relation to the attack. A month earlier, it is believed that he had been offered the only ST1 training post in neurosurgery available in the West Midlands, one of a handful available throughout the country in the British government's MTAS
system for junior doctor selection.
, £1,500. However, Asha insisted that he felt disturbed at Abdulla's growing fascination with Islamist terrorism, and that he disliked Kafeel Ahmed
, the deceased conspirator. In a police interview, Asha described how he attempted to encourage Abdulla to 'settle down, concentrate on his career and abandon such silly thoughts'.
On 16 December 2008 Asha was found not guilty of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions, the jury accepted that he was an innocent 'dupe' who knew nothing of the plot that his friends, Bilal Abdulla and Kafeel Ahmed, had planned. The judge at his trial criticised the counter-terrorism police for twice interviewing Asha without a solicitor and in his summing up he told the jury, "What this trial may have revealed to you, on this occasion, [is that] Mohammed Asha's rights were not fully respected." Footage played to the jury showed police officers swearing at and ridiculing Asha, and the prosecution also admitted that interviewing officers told Asha that they found new evidence regarding him which they knew to be untrue.
Following his acquittal, Asha was transferred from Belmarsh category A high security prison into the custody of the UK Immigration Service
, where he awaited deportation to his home of country of Jordan
on the grounds that his presence in the UK was "not conducive to the national good". Asha contested deportation and in January 2009 he was released on bail after the Special Immigration Appeals Commission
(SIAC) concluded it was not in the public interest to prevent him from returning to work. On 7 August 2009 the UK Immigration Service
dropped its attempt to have Asha deported and he applied for leave to remain
. Asha will now try to rebuild his medical career as a neurologist
in the NHS
.
2007 Glasgow International Airport attack
The 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack was a terrorist attack which occurred on Saturday 30 June 2007, at 15:11 BST, when a dark green Jeep Cherokee loaded with propane canisters was driven into the glass doors of the Glasgow International Airport terminal and set ablaze...
. He was charged with conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions, but on 16 December 2008 was found not guilty and acquitted on all charges.
Early life and medical career
A Jordanian who was born in Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
to a family originating from Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, Asha moved to Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
with his family in 1991. He attended Jubilee School in Amman, a school for gifted children, where he is remembered as a dedicated student who was bookish and introverted. He won prizes for his Arabic poetry and met Queen Noor, King Hussein of Jordan's
Hussein of Jordan
Hussein bin Talal was the third King of Jordan from the abdication of his father, King Talal, in 1952, until his death. Hussein's rule extended through the Cold War and four decades of Arab-Israeli conflict...
4th wife, when she visited his school. In 1998, Asha received a 98.3% overall mark in his school's leaving exams and he later gained the 3rd highest mark Jordan's national medical entrance exam.
Asha entered the University of Jordan's medical school and graduated with a medical degree in 2004. During his medical studies he used his talent for poetry to woo his future wife, Marwah Dana, a laboratory researcher. He married Marwah in 2004. In the same year, Asha competed against 500 medical students and won a place at University of Birmingham, studying neurology.
Asha moved to the UK in 2005 with his wife, and undertook post-graduate training at the Prince Phillip Hospital in Llanelli, Wales and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Shropshire. Asha then moved to Addenbrokes Hosptital in Cambridge, where he met Bilal Abdulla and Kafeel Ahmed
Kafeel Ahmed
Kafeel Ahmed was one of two terrorists behind the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack, who later died of his injuries sustained in the attacks.-History:...
. In 2007, Asha lived in the village of Chesterton
Chesterton, Staffordshire
Chesterton is a small, former mining village, located in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. It sits near the market town of Newcastle-under-Lyme....
with his wife and young son Anas, and worked as a junior neurosurgeon at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire
University Hospital of North Staffordshire
The University Hospital of North Staffordshire is a major teaching & research hospital in Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent, England, near the border with Newcastle-under-Lyme...
in Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
. Consultant neurosurgeon Rupert Price said he gave Asha the best reference he ever wrote and he believed that Asha was on-track to become one of Britain's top neurosurgeons.
Arrest
On 1 July 2007, the day after the attack on Glasgow Airport2007 Glasgow International Airport attack
The 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack was a terrorist attack which occurred on Saturday 30 June 2007, at 15:11 BST, when a dark green Jeep Cherokee loaded with propane canisters was driven into the glass doors of the Glasgow International Airport terminal and set ablaze...
, Asha and his wife were arrested in a rolling roadblock
Roadblock
A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be:*Roadworks*Temporary road closure during special events*Police chase*Robbery*Sobriety checkpoint...
on the M6 motorway
M6 motorway
The M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. Asha explained to police that they were travelling to a jewellers, as he wished to buy an anniversary wedding ring for his wife. His wife was later released without charge and she returned to her family in Jordan. Following his arrest he was suspended from his medical duties. On 20 July 2007 Asha became the fourth suspect to be charged, with conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions, in relation to the attack. A month earlier, it is believed that he had been offered the only ST1 training post in neurosurgery available in the West Midlands, one of a handful available throughout the country in the British government's MTAS
Medical Training Application Service
The Medical Training Application Service was an on-line application system set up under the auspices of Modernising Medical Careers in 2007 and used for the selection of Foundation House Officers and Specialty Registrars, and allocating them to jobs in the UK...
system for junior doctor selection.
Trial and acquittal
At his trial, the jury was told that Asha lent his friend, Bilal AbdullahBilal Abdullah
Bilal Talal Samad Abdullah was one of two terrorists behind the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack, and is currently serving a life sentence with a minimum of 32 years.-History:...
, £1,500. However, Asha insisted that he felt disturbed at Abdulla's growing fascination with Islamist terrorism, and that he disliked Kafeel Ahmed
Kafeel Ahmed
Kafeel Ahmed was one of two terrorists behind the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack, who later died of his injuries sustained in the attacks.-History:...
, the deceased conspirator. In a police interview, Asha described how he attempted to encourage Abdulla to 'settle down, concentrate on his career and abandon such silly thoughts'.
On 16 December 2008 Asha was found not guilty of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions, the jury accepted that he was an innocent 'dupe' who knew nothing of the plot that his friends, Bilal Abdulla and Kafeel Ahmed, had planned. The judge at his trial criticised the counter-terrorism police for twice interviewing Asha without a solicitor and in his summing up he told the jury, "What this trial may have revealed to you, on this occasion, [is that] Mohammed Asha's rights were not fully respected." Footage played to the jury showed police officers swearing at and ridiculing Asha, and the prosecution also admitted that interviewing officers told Asha that they found new evidence regarding him which they knew to be untrue.
Following his acquittal, Asha was transferred from Belmarsh category A high security prison into the custody of the UK Immigration Service
UK Immigration Service
The United Kingdom Immigration Service, , was the operational arm of the Home Office, Immigration and Nationality Directorate...
, where he awaited deportation to his home of country of Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
on the grounds that his presence in the UK was "not conducive to the national good". Asha contested deportation and in January 2009 he was released on bail after the Special Immigration Appeals Commission
Special Immigration Appeals Commission
The Special Immigration Appeals Commission is a superior court of record in the United Kingdom established by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission Act 1997 that deals with appeals from persons deported by the Home Secretary under various statutory powers, and usually related to matters of...
(SIAC) concluded it was not in the public interest to prevent him from returning to work. On 7 August 2009 the UK Immigration Service
UK Immigration Service
The United Kingdom Immigration Service, , was the operational arm of the Home Office, Immigration and Nationality Directorate...
dropped its attempt to have Asha deported and he applied for leave to remain
Indefinite leave to remain
Indefinite leave to remain is an immigration status granted to a person who does not hold right of abode in the United Kingdom , but who has been admitted to the UK without any time limit on his or her stay and who is free to take up employment or study, without restriction...
. Asha will now try to rebuild his medical career as a neurologist
Neurologist
A neurologist is a physician who specializes in neurology, and is trained to investigate, or diagnose and treat neurological disorders.Neurology is the medical specialty related to the human nervous system. The nervous system encompasses the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. A specialist...
in the NHS
National Health Service (England)
The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...
.
External links
- "Car bombing suspect 'on the run'," BBC website.
- "Two more arrests in hunt for terror cell," Times Online.
- "A Surgeon’s Trajectory Takes an Unlikely Swerve" New York Times.
- "Fourth suspect charged over British car bombings" Brisbane Times.