He is charging, predictably enough, "Islamophobia," but the Crown Office says that "Mohammed Siddique remains convicted of serious terrorist offences."
"Scottish 'terrorist' Mohammed Atif Siddique freed as verdict quashed," by Charlene Sweeney for the Times Online, February 9 (thanks to all who sent this in):
A student described as Scotland's first home-grown terrorist walked out of court a free man today after three senior judges overturned his most serious conviction.Mohammed Atif Siddique, 24, a student from Alva, in Clackmannanshire, was released after prosecutors said during a hearing that lasted just a few minutes that they did not intend to seek a retrial....
In a statement read out by Mr Anwar, Mr Siddique suggested that he had been targeted because of his Islamic faith.
"Our law should bring to account those who plan acts of terror and not criminalise young Muslims for thought crime and the possession of propaganda," he said.
"I have always maintained my innocence, but they took my liberty, destroyed my family's reputation and labelled me a terrorist but I never had any bombs or plans to hurt anyone.
"In court it was said I was a wannabe suicide bomber, but I have always said I was simply looking for answers on the internet."
Mr Siddique, a shopkeeper's son, was the first person to be found guilty of Islamist terrorist charges in Scotland.
His trial in October 2007 was told that he sympathised with al-Qaeda and he wanted to be a suicide bomber. It also heard how he had frightened fellow students at Glasgow Metropolitan College by showing them images of beheadings being carried out by terrorists, and threatening to blow up the city.
After being found guilty of three terrorist charges and a breach of the peace, Mr Siddique was sentenced to a total of eight years in prison.
The majority of his sentence, six years, related to the most serious charge, which alleged that he possessed material that could be used for the "preparation, instigation or commission" of an act of terrorism.
During his appeal in July of last year, Donald Findlay, Mr Siddique's barrister, argued that this material was no more than propaganda. He also repeated the student's claims that he had simply been searching the internet out of curiosity.
At a hearing two weeks ago, judges said that Mr Siddique had been a victim of a miscarriage of justice, ruling that the original trial judge, Lord Carloway, had misdirected the jury. They deferred their decision until today to allow prosecutors to decide if they would seek a fresh conviction, but Derek Ogg, QC, the advocate depute, said they did not to intend to pursue this route, as Mr Siddique had already served most of his sentence relating to the main charge.
Mr Ogg also noted that he had served his sentence for the two lesser terrorism offences, which still stand.
Lord Osborne, sitting with Lords Reed and Clarke, said that they would quash the conviction and the associated sentence for the offence. They agreed to make it clear that Mr Siddique was free to leave the court.
The computing student was arrested in April 2006 as he waited to board a flight to Pakistan with his uncle. Material found on his laptop and during searches at his home included passages from the Koran, messages from al-Qaeda and praise for "martyrs" in Iraq.
In a statement, the Crown Office noted that the UK's terror laws had developed since Mr Siddique's trial in 2007 through judgments in English trials. It also said that as he had served most of his sentence for his main conviction a retrial would not be in the public interest.
However, it added: "Mohammed Siddique remains convicted of serious terrorist offences."...
Uh, then should he really have been freed?
C'mon Robert,
"three senior judges overturned his most serious conviction."
"he had served his sentence for the two lesser terrorism offences"
"a retrial would not be in the public interest"
He did his time, let go of him. How very Muslim of you to be desirous of continued punishment for this guy after our system of law has been satisfied.
It should also be said that Mohammed Siddique should be surveilled until it can be reasonably shown that no further danger exists from his possible radicalisation.
"I have always maintained my innocence, but they took my liberty, destroyed my family's reputation and labelled me a terrorist but I never had any bombs or plans to hurt anyone.
"In court it was said I was a wannabe suicide bomber, but I have always said I was simply looking for answers on the internet."
If he is a Muham that believes the Koran is the word of Allah that must be lived to satisfy the conditions of Muhammadenism then he is continuously a suspected terrorist if not continuously an actual terrorist. This does not require 'rocket science' or 'brain surgeon' IQ.
If he was carrying a koran then he carrying ancient plans to hurt 5 billion people through being a suicidal killer.
He slipped so quickly from "the accused" to "victim status".
His egregiousness is simply astonishing.
In his statement he managed to get in:
1) Targeted because of his Islamic faith.
2) Should not criminalise young Muslims for thought crime and the possession of propaganda.
3) Taken away my liberty, destroyed my family’s reputation and labelled me a terrorist.
CAIR clearly have their own branch office in Scotland plus numerous UK equivalents.
'Mr Siddique suggested that he had been targeted because of his Islamic faith.'
It would be more accurate to say that he had targeted us because of his Islamic faith!
Seems to be a typical Mohammedan trait; to accuse others of crimes that THEY are carrying out!
this duplicitous "useful idiot" who set up the website, with links to bomb making etc,according to callers stated in college, obsessed he wanted to be a player for al quada, to become famous through his actions,(hmm! what does that mean :-) had scared girls at the college by showing them beheading phone video s, & was just "curious" about wanting to know how to make bombs:-
interviewed on bbc 10/02/2010, it is reqd listening
it is available for all to listen to via bbc iplayer
bbc 5 live derbyshire 10.00 am he is guarded/evasive even to reasonble questions, and his his solicitor, steps in at various points.