Several suspects detained under anti-terrorism act appear in London courts

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press Writer

LONDON – A man who ran a company allegedly offering holy war training courses appeared in court Friday on weapons charges, along with a second man accused of providing flight training to some of the hijackers involved in the attack on the Pentagon.

Both were denied bail after prosecutors presented evidence allegedly linking them to extremist activities.

Sulayman Balal Zainulabidin, 43, was arrested Monday and charged under provisions of the Terrorism Act that cover weapons training for terrorist purposes and recruitment for training.

Zainulabidin did not enter a plea Friday, and another hearing was set for Oct. 12.

Lotfi Raissi, 27, was arrested in England last month on a U.S. warrant and is accused of training the hijackers of American Airlines Flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon. Raissi has denied any connection to terrorism. He is due in court again on Oct. 26.

Prosecuting attorney Patrick Stevens said Zainulabidin admitted he was the founder and chief instructor for Sakina Security, a company that offered a course in the Islamic "art of war" and another course called "the Ultimate Jihad (holy war) Challenge."

Police officers who searched Zainulabidin's apartment seized documents related to suspected terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida network, anti-Semitic material and what appeared to be disabled firearms including a rifle and two handguns, Stevens said.

Stevens described Sakina Security as a one-man operation but said Zainulabidin claimed to have an associate in Alabama.

Sakina's Web site, which was shut down this week, also called for financial contributions for the "liberation" of a Muslim holy site in Jerusalem, which Stevens described as a goal of several terrorist groups.

Zainulabidin faced one charge of "providing instruction or training in the making or use of firearms, explosives, or chemical, biological or nuclear weapons," and a second count alleging that he "invited others as yet unknown" to receive such training.

The prosecution did not link Zainulabidin to the Sept. 11 attacks and there was no suggestion that he and Raissi were connected.

Raissi, an Algerian pilot, was arrested Sept. 21 under a U.S. warrant alleging he gave false information on an application for a pilot's license. He has not been formally charged with any offense.

At his first appearance in court a week ago, prosecutors said Raissi could face a charge of conspiracy to murder in connection with the attacks in the United States.

Prosecuting attorney Arvinder Sambei said a video seized by police at Raissi's home shows him training with Hani Hanjour, identified by U.S. authorities as one of the suspected hijackers. They said the two men trained together at the same flight school between 1997 and 2000.

The prosecution added that Raissi's log book had missing or blank pages which recorded no flights for 15 months.

Hugo Keith, Raissi's attorney, described the prosecution case as "a number of pieces of a jigsaw forced together to paint a sinister picture." He contended there was no evidence linking Raissi to terrorism.

U.S. authorities had 60 days from the court appearance to seek Raissi's extradition.

At a London Magistrates Court on Friday, a judge set a new court date of Oct. 26 for Abu Doha, also known as Amar Makhlulif, 36, who is accused in the United States of organizing a thwarted bin Laden plot to attack Los Angeles airport on the eve of the millennium.

Doha, who was arrested in July, is to appear in court Oct. 26. He did not attend Friday's hearing.

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