Mohammed Atif Siddique
Encyclopedia
Mohammed Atif Siddique is a Scottish
prison
er who was found guilty, but later cleared on appeal, of one of his convictions "collecting terrorist-related information, setting up websites...and circulating inflammatory terrorist publications", resulting in a sentence of eight years' imprisonment. His defence has consistently been that he was a curious 20-year old youth, still living with his parents, who was "looking for answers on the internet". One of his convictions was quashed on appeal on the 29th of January, 2010. He remains a convicted terrorist.
BBC programme maker Peter Taylor
reported in his acclaimed three part series "Generation Jihad" that Siddique was linked to extremist Abid Khan, who was later imprisoned for Terrorist offences also.
Siddique's parents, of South Asian descent, run a general store
in Alva
, Clackmannanshire
which their son believed should stop serving alcohol as an off-licence. Arguments with his parents led to him running away from home once, before returning.
Siddique attended Alva Academy
where he was a "model student", before enrolling as a Computing Technician student at Glasgow Metropolitan College
.
, when officials at Glasgow International Airport
informed the pair that they would not be allowed to fly. The laptop computer that Siddique was carrying was confiscated, and agents DC Murray and Leigh Graham opened the computers files, against police protocol. His cell phone was also seized, after a photograph of Islamic protestors of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons
was discovered. It was alleged he was flying to meet Aabid Khan
, a friend of one of the Toronto 18, and thus may have been plotting to involve himself with the group.
At 7am the following morning, local police officers, MI5
and Special Branch
stormed the Siddique house with a battering ram
, arresting Siddique, his older brother Asif, their uncles Rafiq and Mohammed Niaz, 46 - the latter of whom was a 26-year resident of Stirlingshire
.
The uncles were released from Govan police station
after thirteen days imprisonment. Siddique was charged the next day under Section 58(1b) of the Terrorism Act 2000
, collecting information that would "likely be useful" to a terrorist.
Asif, who was a 25-year old law student, was released the day after Siddique's charges were laid, after he was questioned about his feelings towards the September 11th attacks after police found postcards sent from friends he maintained in New York City
.
, classmate Kyle Ramsey stated that Siddique had encouraged him to watch an online video of a beheading, and classmate Fozia Begum testified that he had claimed Osama bin Laden
was his god, and he was a member of al-Qaeda
.
He was also accused of carrying on email correspondence with a suspected militant identified only as "The Englishman" in court proceedings. The emails had been discovered after Canadian authorities requested Britain monitor a suspected militant recruiter living in Northern England.
The advocate-deputy was Brian McConnachie, who characterized the material stating "It's clear from that material that the whole idea was to glorify martyrdom operations..."
In June, Evan Kohlmann
was given access to the contents of Siddique's laptop by the Central Scotland Police
, and he submit an 18-page summary stating that the images, documents and videos that Siddique had downloaded comprised "a formidable archive of authentic Al-Qaida recruitment and technical material that is designed and likely to be used for purposes relating to the commission, perpetration, or instigation of an act of terrorism—most specifically, a suicide or 'martyrdom' operation". Forensic analyst Michael Dickson also argued that because the majority of files were kept in the c:\windows\options folder, it showed a clear intent to "hide" his interest.
The trial concluded with nine hours of deliberation by the jury of nine women and six men, resulting in a Guilty verdict on September 27, 2007.
After the conviction, Kohlmann said that Siddique "apparently lacked in the skills, sophistication, lengthy credentials, and cold-blooded professionalism" associated with actual terrorists and described him as "undoubtedly naive".
After the trial ended, the prosecution alleged that it had been his intention to disappear once in Pakistan to join a Toronto-based group
arrested on allegations of wanting to bomb Canadian targets, though his attorneys pointed out that no evidence was ever produced to support the allegation, and referred to it as a "smear".
Following the trial, Lord Carloway announced he intended to seek contempt of court
charges against Siddique's attorney Aamer Anwar
for making "disparaging remarks" about the outcome of the trial, referring to an "atmosphere of hostility". Siddique's other attorney was Donald Findlay
.
The Crown Office issued a statement on 9 February 2010 indicating that it had decided not to seek a retrial of Mohammed Atif Siddique on terrorism charges following the Criminal Appeal Court's decision two weeks ago to quash a conviction under section 57 of the Terrorism Act 2000, on the basis that the trial judge misdirected the jury as to the relevant law.
The statement continues as follows:
“The law in relation to section 57 of Terrorism Act 2000 has, since the trial judge charged the jury, further developed through a number of decisions in the English courts.
“After careful consideration of the Appeal Court’s judgment, the Crown has decided not to seek authority for a retrial. The fact that Mr Siddique has already served the majority of his sentence for charge 1, and has de facto served his sentence in full for the other terrorist offences, of which he remains convicted, means that a retrial would have little practical effect. Accordingly, the Crown has concluded that a retrial would not be in the public interest.
"Mohammed Atif Siddique remains convicted of the other charges on the indictment which were:
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
er who was found guilty, but later cleared on appeal, of one of his convictions "collecting terrorist-related information, setting up websites...and circulating inflammatory terrorist publications", resulting in a sentence of eight years' imprisonment. His defence has consistently been that he was a curious 20-year old youth, still living with his parents, who was "looking for answers on the internet". One of his convictions was quashed on appeal on the 29th of January, 2010. He remains a convicted terrorist.
BBC programme maker Peter Taylor
Peter Taylor (Journalist)
Peter Taylor born in Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire is a British journalist and documentary-maker who had covered for many years the political and armed conflict in Northern Ireland, widely known as the Troubles...
reported in his acclaimed three part series "Generation Jihad" that Siddique was linked to extremist Abid Khan, who was later imprisoned for Terrorist offences also.
Siddique's parents, of South Asian descent, run a general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
in Alva
Alva, Clackmannanshire
Alva is a small town in Clackmannanshire, set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It is one of a number of towns situated immediately to the south of the Ochil Hills, collectively referred to as the Hillfoots Villages or simply The Hillfoots...
, Clackmannanshire
Clackmannanshire
Clackmannanshire, often abbreviated to Clacks is a local government council area in Scotland, and a lieutenancy area, bordering Perth and Kinross, Stirling and Fife.As Scotland's smallest historic county, it is often nicknamed 'The Wee County'....
which their son believed should stop serving alcohol as an off-licence. Arguments with his parents led to him running away from home once, before returning.
Siddique attended Alva Academy
Alva Academy
Alva Academy is a six year comprehensive school serving the villages of Alva, Menstrie, Tillicoultry, Coalsnaughton, Devonside, Dollar and Muckhart, all in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. The roll is fairly static at over 1100...
where he was a "model student", before enrolling as a Computing Technician student at Glasgow Metropolitan College
Glasgow Metropolitan College
Glasgow Metropolitan College was a further education college located in Glasgow, Scotland. The College was created on 7 February 2005 by the merger of the Glasgow College of Building & Printing and Glasgow College of Food Technology and itself merged with Central College and Glasgow College of...
.
Arrests
On April 12, 2006, Siddique was accompanying his 40-year old paternal uncle Mohammed Rafiq on a trip to his farm in the Punjab regionPunjab region
The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...
, when officials at Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport
Glasgow International Airport is an international airport in Scotland, located west of Glasgow city centre, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew in Renfrewshire...
informed the pair that they would not be allowed to fly. The laptop computer that Siddique was carrying was confiscated, and agents DC Murray and Leigh Graham opened the computers files, against police protocol. His cell phone was also seized, after a photograph of Islamic protestors of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons
Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005...
was discovered. It was alleged he was flying to meet Aabid Khan
Aabid Khan
Aabid Khan is a British youth from Bradford, UK who was convicted in August 2008 of being a "terrorist propagandist".-Life:Khan worked at the At Tibyan website, run by Younes Tsouli...
, a friend of one of the Toronto 18, and thus may have been plotting to involve himself with the group.
At 7am the following morning, local police officers, MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
and Special Branch
Special Branch
Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces, as well as in the Royal Thai Police...
stormed the Siddique house with a battering ram
Battering ram
A battering ram is a siege engine originating in ancient times and designed to break open the masonry walls of fortifications or splinter their wooden gates...
, arresting Siddique, his older brother Asif, their uncles Rafiq and Mohammed Niaz, 46 - the latter of whom was a 26-year resident of Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire
Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling is a registration county of Scotland, based around Stirling, the former county town. It borders Perthshire to the north, Clackmannanshire and West Lothian to the east, Lanarkshire to the south, and Dunbartonshire to the south-west.Until 1975 it was a county...
.
The uncles were released from Govan police station
Govan
Govan is a district and former burgh now part of southwest City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south bank of the River Clyde, opposite the mouth of the River Kelvin and the district of Partick....
after thirteen days imprisonment. Siddique was charged the next day under Section 58(1b) of the Terrorism Act 2000
Terrorism Act 2000
The Terrorism Act 2000 is the first of a number of general Terrorism Acts passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It superseded and repealed the Prevention of Terrorism Act 1989 and the Northern Ireland Act 1996...
, collecting information that would "likely be useful" to a terrorist.
Asif, who was a 25-year old law student, was released the day after Siddique's charges were laid, after he was questioned about his feelings towards the September 11th attacks after police found postcards sent from friends he maintained in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Trial
During the four-week trial under judge Lord Carloway, Siddique was accused of having shown photographs of suicide bombers to students at Glasgow Metropolitan CollegeGlasgow Metropolitan College
Glasgow Metropolitan College was a further education college located in Glasgow, Scotland. The College was created on 7 February 2005 by the merger of the Glasgow College of Building & Printing and Glasgow College of Food Technology and itself merged with Central College and Glasgow College of...
, classmate Kyle Ramsey stated that Siddique had encouraged him to watch an online video of a beheading, and classmate Fozia Begum testified that he had claimed Osama 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...
was his god, and he was a member of al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
.
He was also accused of carrying on email correspondence with a suspected militant identified only as "The Englishman" in court proceedings. The emails had been discovered after Canadian authorities requested Britain monitor a suspected militant recruiter living in Northern England.
The advocate-deputy was Brian McConnachie, who characterized the material stating "It's clear from that material that the whole idea was to glorify martyrdom operations..."
In June, Evan Kohlmann
Evan Kohlmann
Evan F. Kohlmann is an American terrorism consultant who has worked for the FBI and other governmental organizations.He is a contributor to the Counterterrorism Blog, a senior investigator with The Nine Eleven Finding Answers Foundation, and a terrorism analyst for NBC News.-Early life and...
was given access to the contents of Siddique's laptop by the Central Scotland Police
Central Scotland Police
Central Scotland Police is the territorial police force responsible for the Scottish council areas of Stirling, Falkirk and Clackmannanshire . The headquarters of the force are at Randolphfield House in Stirling....
, and he submit an 18-page summary stating that the images, documents and videos that Siddique had downloaded comprised "a formidable archive of authentic Al-Qaida recruitment and technical material that is designed and likely to be used for purposes relating to the commission, perpetration, or instigation of an act of terrorism—most specifically, a suicide or 'martyrdom' operation". Forensic analyst Michael Dickson also argued that because the majority of files were kept in the c:\windows\options folder, it showed a clear intent to "hide" his interest.
The trial concluded with nine hours of deliberation by the jury of nine women and six men, resulting in a Guilty verdict on September 27, 2007.
After the conviction, Kohlmann said that Siddique "apparently lacked in the skills, sophistication, lengthy credentials, and cold-blooded professionalism" associated with actual terrorists and described him as "undoubtedly naive".
After the trial ended, the prosecution alleged that it had been his intention to disappear once in Pakistan to join a Toronto-based group
2006 Toronto terrorism case
The 2006 Ontario terrorism case refers to the plotting of a series of attacks against targets in Southern Ontario, Canada, and the June 2, 2006, counter-terrorism raids in and around the Greater Toronto Area that resulted in the arrest of 18 people found to be Al-Qaeda members of an Islamic...
arrested on allegations of wanting to bomb Canadian targets, though his attorneys pointed out that no evidence was ever produced to support the allegation, and referred to it as a "smear".
Following the trial, Lord Carloway announced he intended to seek contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
charges against Siddique's attorney Aamer Anwar
Aamer Anwar
Aamer Anwar is a Scottish lawyer of Pakistani background. He is noted for his left-wing political views and his support for Stop the War Coalition and the campaigns against the 31st G8 summit and Dungavel Detention Centre for failed Asylum seekers....
for making "disparaging remarks" about the outcome of the trial, referring to an "atmosphere of hostility". Siddique's other attorney was Donald Findlay
Donald Findlay
Donald Findlay QC, is a well-known senior advocate and Queen's Counsel in Scotland. He has also held positions as a vice chairman of Rangers Football Club and twice Rector of the University of St Andrews...
.
Appeal
On the 29th of January, 2010, one of the charges against Siddique was overturned on appeal. The appeal judge, Lord Osborne, stated that some directions given to the jury by the trial judge, Lord Carloway, were a "material misdirection" and amounted to a "miscarriage of justice".The Crown Office issued a statement on 9 February 2010 indicating that it had decided not to seek a retrial of Mohammed Atif Siddique on terrorism charges following the Criminal Appeal Court's decision two weeks ago to quash a conviction under section 57 of the Terrorism Act 2000, on the basis that the trial judge misdirected the jury as to the relevant law.
The statement continues as follows:
“The law in relation to section 57 of Terrorism Act 2000 has, since the trial judge charged the jury, further developed through a number of decisions in the English courts.
“After careful consideration of the Appeal Court’s judgment, the Crown has decided not to seek authority for a retrial. The fact that Mr Siddique has already served the majority of his sentence for charge 1, and has de facto served his sentence in full for the other terrorist offences, of which he remains convicted, means that a retrial would have little practical effect. Accordingly, the Crown has concluded that a retrial would not be in the public interest.
"Mohammed Atif Siddique remains convicted of the other charges on the indictment which were:
- section 54 of the Terrorism Act 2000: setting up websites providing links to documents providing instructions on how to operate weaponry and make explosives
- section 2 of the Terrorism Act 2006: circulating terrorist publications by means of websites to encourage, induce or assist the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism)
- breach of the peace: showing images of suicide bombers, murders and beheadings to fellow students, threatening to be a suicide bomber and to carry out terrorism in Glasgow or elsewhere."