British Pakistani man charged with murder conspiracy

LONDON: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has charged a British Pakistani man with conspiracy to murder a Netherlands-based Pakistani national — following an investigation by the Scotland Yard’s Counter Terrorism Command Unit and the Dutch authorities.

The target was a social media activist. Speaking to The News, a source at Scotland Yard said the man is in high-security custody and will be produced at the Old Bailey on July 19 (today).

The CPS confirmed that the suspect was charged on June 28 with conspiracy to murder, contrary to section 1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977. The CPS said he was charged for the murder conspiracy together with the “persons unknown”. The accused appeared at the Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 29 June, where he was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on 19 July, according to the police. The police clarified that the suspect has been charged with conspiracy to murder and not terrorism-related offences. Sources said the man had travelled from London to Amsterdam in February this year. He stayed there for three days, hired a car and visited the locality where the target lived.

It’s understood that the Dutch intelligence knew about the suspect’s plans and they had already moved the intended target and his family out of his residence to a secure location. The suspect, according to the investigators, made several trips to Netherlands, but he was arrested in London on June 24 in relation to the murder conspiracy. Alerted by the Dutch intelligence, Scotland Yard’s detectives arrested the suspect at King’s Cross St Pancras International station after arriving in London on a train originally departing from The Netherlands.

He was stopped under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act (TACT) 2000 and subsequently arrested on suspicion of failing to comply with a duty imposed under Schedule 7, TACT 2000. He was taken to police custody and was later released on police bail, pending inquiries. He was arrested again on June 25 on suspicion of conspiracy to murder and was charged with the offence of conspiring to assassinate.