The three week hearing of five Pakistani students who have filed cases before a British immigration court against their deportation has began with a UK intelligence officer claiming that the group planned to strike just before their arrest in north west England last year.
The case is before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission headed by Justice Mitting who is hearing appeals by Abid Naseer, Ahmed Faraz Khan, Abdul Wahab Khan, Shoaib Khan and Tariq-ur-Rehman. They were among 10 Pakistani students who were taken into custody on April 8, 2009 on the grounds of posing as a threat to the UK national security as Islamic extremists.
As no charges were brought against them, they were released on April 21 by the Greater Manchester Police but then handed over to the UK Border Agency who then initiated deportation proceedings. Abid Naseer and Ahmed Faraz Khan are appealing against deportation to Pakistan while Shoaib, Wahab and Tariq who returned to Pakistan voluntarily are appealing to return to Britain to continue with their studies.
The intelligence officer, identified only as ZR, told the three-member panel on Monday that the group had been planning to stage an attack in April last year, but were seized in raids in Manchester and Liverpool. Sitting behind the curtain, he told the hearing that Naseer exchanged coded emails with Shoaib while planning the alleged attack adding the pair used girls' names to cover their moves.
Representing Naseer, Barrister Joel Bennathan said his client and Shoaib used women's names on websites because as Muslim men this was the only way they could access certain sites. In his cross examination, he also asked why the students could be considered as terrorists when no explosives were found in his clients home, cars or elsewhere. He argued that as the subject of two of the emails was "Shoaib here", it showed they had nothing to hide. The British security services claimed that Naseer was receiving advice via email on how to make a device.