World

Bomb Plot Mastermind Killed in US Attack on Islamist Militants

by Christina 123 | November 22, 2008 at 02:53 am

83 views | 19 Recommendations | 1 comment

FUGITIVE suspect terrorist Rashid Rauf wanted by intelligence services in the UK after an airline "liquid bomb" plot has been killed in a US military attack in the North West region of Pakistan, it has been reported today.

Three men were jailed on terrorist charges in connection with the bomb plot in September.

A fugitive British militant linked to an alleged UK plot to use liquid bombs to blow up transatlantic airliners has been killed in Pakistan, reports say.
Pakistani media said Rashid Rauf, born in Birmingham, was killed in a US air strike in North Waziristan, a haven for militants and the Taleban.
Mr Rauf, on the run after escaping from a Pakistani jail, was alleged to have helped the group planning the attacks.
Three men were convicted in the UK in September of conspiracy to murder.
News of the liquid bomb plot paralysed global air travel, prompting authorities to implement stringent security measures at airports around the world.
Rashid Rauf was arrested in Pakistan on 9 August 2006, at the request of US authorities, who feared he was about to disappear into the remote north-west of the country.

ALLEGED LIQUID BOMB PLOT Group accused of plotting to carry liquid explosives onto planes at London Heathrow Airport Arrests in August 2006, after Rashid Rauf detained in Pakistan Move prompted increased security at UK and US airports At trial, three men convicted of conspiracy to murder None found guilty of conspiring to target passenger aircraft
Profile: Rashid Rauf

One day later authorities in the UK and the US implemented strict security measures at airports, fearing possible bomb attacks.
Hundreds of flights were delayed at airports around the world with massive disruption at major UK terminals and in the US, amid security service fears that militants were planning to mix liquids into lethal explosives.
Terrorism charges against the Briton were eventually dropped but he remained under detention in Pakistan as a "preventative measure".
Mr Rauf, who is thought to have Pakistani citizenship through his family connections, then escaped custody in December 2007 while on his way to an extradition hearing under police guard.
West Midlands Police in the UK were seeking his extradition from Pakistan in connection with a separate case over the suspicious death of an uncle.