LONDON, July 3: To the immense relief of about a million or so Pakistanis living here, those so far arrested in connection with the failed weekend terror attacks have not been found to have the Pakistani links.
And also none of the Middle Eastern nationals arrested has been found to be a British born Muslim radical presumably angry at his country’s involvement in the US wars against Iraq and Afghanistan.
However, the alleged arrival of teams from abroad to carry out attacks, their identities unknown to the domestic law agencies, adds another dimension to the terrorist threat being faced from the Muslim world in the United Kingdom.
According to the Independent on Tuesday, police carried out 19 raids across the country, arresting nationals from Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Among those arrested was Mohammed Jamil Abdelqader Asha, a 26-year-old neurologist who was born in Saudi Arabia but is of Palestinian origin and was travelling on a Jordanian passport. He and his 27-year-old wife, a medical assistant, were arrested on the M6 in Cheshire, in connection with the attempted bombings in London.
There were police searches two miles from Dr Asha’s home at Priam Close, Bradwell, which, according to neighbours, was rented by another doctor and his wife.
On Monday night Dr Asha’s father, Jamil Asha, asked King Abdullah of Jordan to intercede on behalf of his son. He vehemently stressed to journalists in Amman that his son was not involved in any terrorist activity.
