Monday, February 28, 2011

A Bangladeshi computer expert who worked for British Airways and plotted to blow up a plane has been found guilty of terror charges

Rajib Karim, 31, used his job to access information for radical Islamic cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, Woolwich Crown Court heard. He denied four charges, including sharing information of use to hate groups. But after four days of deliberations, the jury found him guilty of all four charges. Karim was committed to an extreme jihadist cause and determined to become a martyr. The Bangladeshi national, who moved with his wife and son to Newcastle in 2006, had already admitted being involved in the production of a terrorist group's video. Karim, a privately-educated IT expert from Dhaka, became a supporter of the extremist organization Jammat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) after being influenced by his younger brother Tehzeeb. He was described as a "mild-mannered, well-educated and respectful" man who hid his hatred for Western ways from colleagues by joining a gym, playing football and never airing extreme views. But at the same time he was using his access to the airline's offices in Newcastle and at Heathrow to spread confidential information. After gaining a post-graduate job at BA in 2007, Karim held secret meetings with fellow Islamic extremists at Heathrow and, in 2009, began communicating with al-Awlaki from his home in Brunton Lane.

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