Rochdale Al-Qaeda terrorist bids for freedom once again

A Rochdale man dubbed as “Osama Bin Laden's right-hand man” is to bid for his freedom from prison in September. 

Rangzieb Ahmed, a locally-born Al-Qaeda terrorist, was the first UK citizen to be convicted for directing terrorism and was also found guilty of directing and plotting with Al-Qaeda in December 2008.

He was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of ten years, having also been found guilty of possessing diaries containing leading terrorists' phone numbers.

Ahmed’s case was considered at oral hearings on 8 July 2019, 10 June 2021 and 27 July 2022. It has been revealed this week that he will once again bid for his freedom in 2024. 
 

Read more: Rochdale-born Al-Qaeda terrorist to appear at parole hearing next yearPublished: 17 December 2019

Ahmed appealed his conviction after his lawyers alleged that British intelligence authorities were complicit with torture he suffered at the hands of their Pakistani counterparts, claiming that he was repeatedly beaten and his fingernails ripped out over a period of three weeks in captivity.

Background:

Rangzieb Ahmed, then 33, was caught with two diaries containing details of top Al-Qaeda operatives, described in court as a terrorist's contact book. He was put under surveillance when he moved back to the UK in 2005 after officials discovered one diary containing al-Qaeda contacts written in invisible ink.

He was responsible for setting up a terrorist cell in Manchester and was in contact with one of the failed London Underground suicide bombers of 21 July 2005.

He was arrested by the Indian authorities at the age of 18 for allegedly fighting as a member of the Islamist terror group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen.

Ahmed received money from British-Pakistani terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh while he was in jail.

Ahmed appealed his conviction after his lawyers alleged that British intelligence authorities were complicit with torture he suffered at the hands of their Pakistani counterparts, claiming that he was repeatedly beaten and his fingernails ripped out over a period of three weeks in captivity.

The appeal was dismissed in 2011.
 

Read more: GUILTY: Rochdale terrorist worked for Al-QaedaPublished: 18 December 2008