Defense attorneys for three men jailed in Oslo on terrorism charges said they couldn’t respond to new reports of more specific charges against their clients, other than to repeat their clients’ earlier denials. Arild Humlen, for example, says he’s bound by declarations of confidentiality.
His client, terror suspect Mikael Davud, is now reportedly suspected of running a terror cell from Oslo. The British newspaper Daily Telegraph reported over the weekend that prosecutors believe Davud led one of four identified terror cells developed by the late Rashid Rauf, a leader of terror organization al-Qaeda.
Rauf was killed in Pakistan in the fall of 2008, and Davud allegedly was in Pakistan shortly before that. Neither Norway’s police intelligence unit PST nor Humlen will confirm, however, that Davud was in Pakistan at that time.
Nor will either PST officials nor Humlen comment on the Daily Telegraph report, which suggests Davud was trying to arrange a false Norwegian passport for another terror suspect, Ibrahim Adam, who fled Britain and whose brother is in prison in the UK for planning bomb attacks.
Alleged photo evidence
The Daily Telegraph reported that four passport photos showing Adam with various hair styles and clothing were found in Davud’s apartment in Oslo. It already has been reported that one of the other terror suspects, who also was an informant for PST, had been asked to help arrange a false passport.
The three other terror cells linked to Rauf are or were based in Belgium, England and the US. The Daily Telegraph also reported that Davud is suspected of planning to build a bomb similar to those used in London bombings.
Humlen was clearly taken aback by the detailed report in the British newspaper and told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) on Sunday that it was impossible for him to respond, other than to say that Davud “naturally believes the information can’t be correct.”
Repeat denials
Davud and his two fellow suspects have all denied having anything to do with terrorist plots. “I can only go from what Davud says himself,” Humlen said, “that he has not belonged to any network, that he hasn’t had contact with any network and that he has no intention of carrying out any actions directed against Norwegians or other interests in Norway.”
Humlen said he’s bound court-ordered confidentiality agreements, “but it’s quite meaningless when the case in such detail is spread out in international media.” He told NRK that he thus fears for his client’s right to a fair trial.
Davud and the two other suspects who are legal residents of Norway, David Jakobsen and Shawan Sadek Bujak, remain in custody and in full isolation at separate prisons in the Oslo area.
Views and News from Norway/Nina Berglund
Join our Forum if you’d like to comment on this story.
