Student researched al Quaeida - arrested. GO PARANOIA!

[D-Fence]

Student researching al-Qaida tactics held for six days


· Lecturers fear threat to academic freedom
· Manual downloaded from US government website

Polly Curtis and Martin Hodgson
Saturday May 24, 2008
The Guardian

A masters student researching terrorist tactics who was arrested and detained for six days after his university informed police about al-Qaida-related material he downloaded has spoken of the "psychological torture" he endured in custody.

Despite his Nottingham University supervisors insisting the materials were directly relevant to his research, Rizwaan Sabir, 22, was held for nearly a week under the Terrorism Act, accused of downloading the materials for illegal use. The student had obtained a copy of the al-Qaida training manual from a US government website for his research into terrorist tactics.

The case highlights what lecturers are claiming is a direct assault on academic freedom led by the government which, in its attempt to establish a "prevent agenda" against terrorist activity, is putting pressure on academics to become police informers.

Sabir was arrested on May 14 after the document was found by a university staff member on an administrator's computer. The administrator, Hisham Yezza, an acquaintance of Sabir, had been asked by the student to print the 1,500-page document because Sabir could not afford the printing fees. The pair were arrested under the Terrorism Act, Sabir's family home was searched and their computer and mobile phones seized. They were released uncharged six days later but Yezza, who is Algerian, was immediately rearrested on unrelated immigration charges and now faces deportation.

Dr Alf Nilsen, a research fellow at the university's school of politics and international relations, said that Yezza is being held at Colnbrook immigration removal centre, due to be deported on Tuesday.

"If he is taken to Algeria, he may be subjected to severe human rights violations after his involvement in this case. He has been in the UK for 13 years. His work is here, his friends are here, his life is here."

Of his detention, Sabir said: "I was absolutely broken. I didn't sleep. I'd close my eyes then hear the keys clanking and I would be up again. As I realised the severity I thought I'd end up in Belmarsh with the nutcases. It was psychological torture.

"On Tuesday they read me a statement confirming it was an illegal document which shouldn't be used for research purposes. To this day no one has ever clarified that point. They released me. I was shaking violently, I fell against the wall, then on the floor and I just cried."

Bettina Rentz, a lecturer in international security and Sabir's personal tutor, said: "He's a serious student, who works very hard and wants a career in academia. This is a great concern for our academic freedom but also for the climate on campus."

Students have begun a petition calling on the university to acknowledge the "disproportionate nature of [its] response to the possession of legitimate research materials".

A spokesman for Nottingham University said it had a duty to inform police of "material of this nature". The spokesman said it was "not legitimate research material", but later amended that view, saying: "If you're an academic or a registered student then you have very good cause to access whatever material your scholarship requires. But there is an expectation that you will act sensibly within current UK law and wouldn't send it on to any Tom, Dick or Harry."

At its annual conference next week the University and College Union will debate a motion on "assaults on academic freedom by the DIUS [Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills]". Sally Hunt, general secretary of the UCU, said: "If we really want to tackle problems like extremism and terrorism, then we need to be safe to explore the issues and get a better understanding. The last thing we need is people too frightened to discuss an issue or research a subject because they fear being arrested or reported."

The higher education minister, Bill Rammell, said: "The government does not want to or has never asked for staff or students to spy on their colleagues or friends. We want universities to work with staff and students on campus to isolate and challenge the very small minority who promote violent extremism."

Sabir's solicitor, Tayab Ali, said: "This could have been dealt with sensibly if the university had discussed the issue with Rizwaan and his tutors. This is the worrying aspect of the extension of detention [under the Terrorism Act]. They can use hugely powerful arrest powers before investigating."

Paranoia is such a beautiful thing.
IMHO the terrorists have won, we lose. Terrorism is all about spreading fear, and this is the perfect example.

[eddysdaman]

I really don't know what to say ... things like this ... just leave me speechless sometimes.

To uphold justice, to protect the community and to serve the public.... its all a load of crap sometimes.

[vikiradTG2007]

Absolutely stupid.

And I agree with D-Fence, if they have ended up doing this, then it means that the terrorists have achieved their first objectives. Next step... taking over the world and making us all become Muslims. If not, death by stoning or a gazillion gunshots.

[fbc]

Originally Posted by D-Fence

IMHO the terrorists have won, we lose. Terrorism is all about spreading fear, and this is the perfect example.

Bingo. Terrorists want us to be afraid and take away our freedoms - and it seems like our governments are only to happy to oblige.

[Cobol74]

Hang on a minute, so you can't download stuff from the internet about the tactics that al-Qaida use? Big Brother has arrived FTL. Freedom pah! Makes my being stopped and searched by the Police "Under the Terrorism Act" a bit thin, six days in Custody, poor bugger!

[watto]

Wow, that poor guy.

Freedom is a thing of the past.

[smib]

Let's not forget that the article says he got the document from a government site. I call for a mass homicide for all politicians, we will have to sacrifice the two or three good ones to get rid of the rest.

[LeVeL]

So downloading files from a US government website will land you in jail? Interesting...

[pepitko]

Originally Posted by LeVeL

So downloading files from a US government website will land you in jail? Interesting...

exactly. This is the bit I don't understand, why was it on the government website in the first place?

Today's governments are more than happy to cut away our freedoms.. poor guy in any case..

[BlaRo]

So if I edit the Wikipedia article on Al-Quaeda to say "Osama is a big pussy", I'll get thrown in the slammer too?

[Paco]

Freedom isn't free, it is locked in a cage and beaten with the stick of suspicion.

[Hidden_Hunter]

I'd like to know which US government website openly hosts an al-quida training manual, seems kinda odd.

I suspect this is the slightly abridged version of events, and I suspect that an unregistered immigrent alledgedly accessing terror training manuals could possibly warrent further investigation.

It seems dramtic on the face of things but i'm sure that it wasn't just the one thing that threw up the "red flag"

[Cobol74]

Yes - No 2 - his name.

/EDIT "Rizwaan Sabir" I guess he is not Welsh.

[airmenair]

This whole thing reminds of the red scare during the cold war. Everyone is running around accusing one another of being a terrorist.

[KaJuN]

I love how different governments' methods of combating terrorism do nothing but help those terrorists achieve their goals. The best part is the terrorists don't even have to lift a finger for their dirty work to be done.

[epp_b]

Oh nos!1! zOmgGGG|!!1!!!~!! da terrrrrrrristts r comin''d'!!!!!!$@!!!#@

[hansvonaxion]

Add me to the list of those in "shock and awe".

Although Hidden Hunter has a point, they said his Uni dobbed him in. That's just wrong.