Less than one in ten anti-terrorism arrests leads to conviction in UK

September 26th, 2009 RAWALPINDI - An anti-terrorism court here, which is conducting the trial of seven suspects linked with the Mumbai terror attacks of November 2008, including LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, on Saturday adjourned the hearing of the case till October 3. "The judge was on leave today so the hearing could not take place.

September 19th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - An anti-terrorism court here , which is conducting the trial of seven suspects linked with the Mumbai terror attacks of November 2008, including LeT operations commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, on Saturday adjourned the hearing of the case till September 26. No other details of the proceedings were available due to a strict media blackout imposed by Judge Baqir Ali Rana, who is conducting the trial inside the high-security Adiala Jail in the garrison city of Rawalpindi due to security reasons.

September 18th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan government is considering commuting death sentences, but such a step may not help the cause of Sarabjeet Singh, the Indian inmate who has been awarded a death sentence by a Lahore anti-terrorism court in October 1991. Interior Advisor Rehman Malik said the government has sent a draft to the law division seeking legal opinion on the proposal to commute death sentences.

August 15th, 2009 Arrests as protesters target UK far-right festivalLONDON — Hundreds of anti-fascist protesters tried to block people Saturday from attending a festival held by the far-right, anti-immigrant British National Party, which has been encouraged by recent electoral success. Police said they made 19 arrests after scuffles broke out during the rally of about 750 to 900 protesters in the village of Codnor, central England.

August 4th, 2009 BEIJING - Police forces and state security agencies had prevented five organized terrorist attacks on civilians in China's far west Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China's anti-terrorism sources said Monday. Police forces and state security authorities had successively crushed five organized terrorist plots in Urumqi, Kashgar, Aksu and Ili in Xinjiang.

July 31st, 2009 BEIJING - The Chinese army is formulating rules of engagement for Anti-Terrorism Combat Operations to deal with growing terrorist threat facing the country. "The army is drafting an Ordinance for Anti-terrorism Combat Operations based on its experience in anti-terror missions over the past few years," The China Daily quoted Major General Meng Guoping, as saying.

June 19th, 2009 LAHORE - Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif said terrorism cannot be linked to Islam and there is a need to focus on the root cause that leads to violence, Online news agency reported Friday. Sharif made the remarks during his meeting with former Pakistani president Rafiq Tarar and religious scholar Maulana Tariq Jameel here.

May 13th, 2009 UK: Most terrorism suspects freedLONDON — Britons of South Asian descent are far more likely to be detained in anti-terrorism raids than other ethnic groups — and more than half of all suspects arrested in terrorism cases since 2001 were freed without charge, a government study disclosed on Wednesday. The report, which covers the period since the 9/11 attacks in the United States, is expected to reinforce the widespread feeling among British Muslims that they are being unfairly singled out by police, community leaders said.

May 13th, 2009 UK terror probe arrests focus on South AsiansLONDON — Britons of South Asian descent are far more likely to be detained in anti-terrorism raids than other ethnic groups — and more than half of all suspects arrested in terrorism cases since 2001 were freed without charge, a government study disclosed on Wednesday. The report, which covers the period since the 9/11 attacks in the United States, is expected to reinforce the widespread feeling among British Muslims that they are being unfairly singled out by police, community leaders said.

April 23rd, 2009 LONDON - The anti-terrorist operation that led to the resignation of a senior policeman, armed raids, the search of 14 properties but ultimately no charges, is to be the subject of an independent inquiry. The Times quoted Lord Carlile of Berriew, the reviewer of terrorism legislation, said that he would carry out "a snapshot review" of the detention of 12 men picked up a fortnight ago in Manchester, Liverpool and Lancashire, amid claims of an Easter bomb plot.

April 23rd, 2009 LONDON - An independent inquiry is likely to be held into the anti-terrorist operation that led to the resignation of a senior British policeman, armed raids, arrest and release of 11 Pakistani citizens without any charges being levied on them. Lord Carlile of Berriew, the reviewer of terrorism legislation, said that he would carry out "a snapshot review" of the detention of 12 men picked up a fortnight ago in Manchester, Liverpool and Lancashire, amid claims of an Easter bomb plot.

April 9th, 2009 LONDON - Britain's most senior anti-terrorist policeman, Bob Quick, has resigned after making a major security blunder that caused an operation against a suspected al-Qaeda cell to be brought forward. Quick tendered his resignation to London Mayor Boris Johnson, who is also the chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority, after admitting that he "could have compromised a major counter terrorism operation".

March 23rd, 2009 LONDON - The British government is planning to train around 60,000 people already employed in various positions in how to respond to acts of terrorism, British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said Sunday. Speaking on the BBC, Smith said that the strategy included bringing anti-terrorism into the public arena with the training of people working 'everywhere from our shopping centres to our hotels'.

March 22nd, 2009 LONDON - United Kingdom's new anti-terror strategy, which will be unveiled by Home Secretary Jacqui Smith next week, is claimed to be the most comprehensive counter-terrorism approach issued by any government in the world. According to a Home Office spokesman, Smith wants the paper to go into more detail than ever before about how the authorities are seeking to prevent atrocities from happening and respond to attacks which take place.

February 25th, 2009 LONDON - Last year's terrorist attacks on Mumbai could have been turned into a 'relatively small incident' if the city police force had been well-resourced and -equipped, an Indian strategic expert has said. 'The police system have roots in the community and they are the best equipped to wear the boots to fight terrorism on the ground.