British terror suspect Haroon Aswat admits plotting terror training camp during hearing in New York

 
Guilty plea: Haroon Aswat admitted plotting to set up a terrorist training camp
Alex Diaz30 March 2015

A British terror suspect has pleaded guilty in New York to charges of plotting to set up a terrorist training camp in the US with hook-handed extremist Abu Hamza.

Paranoid schizophrenic Haroon Aswat, from Dewsbury in West Yorkshire, admitted supporting terrorism and conspiracy and could face up to 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors say he and Hamza conspired to create a terrorist training camp in Bly, Oregon, 15 years ago.

Hamza, 56, previously of north London, was jailed for life in January after a jury last year found him guilty of supporting terrorist organisations.

Aswat, who is thought to be 40, was arrested in 2005 in Zambia and later flown to the UK.

He fought extradition for several years and was held at Broadmoor Hospital before being sent to the US last October.

The European Court of Human Rights in January dismissed a case he brought against the Government arguing that his extradition rested on inadequate assurances from US officials about his treatment.

His lawyers claimed that it had breached Article 3 (prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

In their ruling at the time, ECHR judges said: "In light of the specific assurances and additional information received from the United States government, and the careful examination of the case by the High Court in the United Kingdom, the court found that it could not be said that there was a real risk that Mr Aswat would be subjected to treatment contrary to Article 3 if extradited.

"The Court therefore considered his complaint to be manifestly ill-founded pursuant to Article 35 of the Convention and declared the application inadmissible."

Aswat's lawyers told the court today that he has been treated for mental illness.

He will be sentenced on July 31.

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