Former Batley Carr man extradited to the USA
Haroon Rashid Aswat, 40, today (Tuesday) boarded a plane from the UK to the USA, where he is wanted on terrorism charges.
Aswat is alleged to have travelled to the US in late 1999 to set up a Jihadist training camp in Oregon with hate-preacher Abu Hamza.
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Hide AdHe was originally arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police at RAF Northolt in August 2005 after a US request for his extradition. He had already been deported from Zambia.
The warrants issued on behalf of the US authorities allege that Aswat conspired with others set up the camp to enable and equip people to fight Jihad in Afghanistan between October 1999 and April 2000,.
Earlier today Aswat was taken from Broadmoor Hospital to a UK airport accompanied by extradition officers. He was met at the airport by representatives from the US authorities who have escorted him on the flight to America.
The decision to extradite Aswat was made last month, when Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas and Mr Justice Mitting said he could be sent for trial in New York.
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Hide AdAswat allegedly conspired with terrorist Abu Hamza to set up the camp.
Hamza was extradited from Britain to America nearly two years ago and found guilty of terrorism charges in May after a trial in New York. He has yet to be sentenced.
Judges had been told that Aswat was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia and had been transferred from a prison to a psychiatric hospital in Britain.