October 31, 2007
October 30, 2007
ATILLA STRIKES OIL
ITN
Dawoods tapes are much better. Very posh voice. Quite camp.
Lots of stuff about Muslims not making the effort, Muslims saying that Abu Katadah, Hamza et al were bad Muslims, Muslims who aren't up for sleeping in ditches cos they missed their wives- oh and Atilla says that whilst on holiday he found oil on his land in Cyprus.
In the many short breaks today I started reading Will Self's Great Apes. I think I'm going to give up though. What is it about scag heads and long complicated words? I don't get it.
Dawoods tapes are much better. Very posh voice. Quite camp.
"I thought he was a pooftah" said Hajj when he came up in conversation recently.
Lots of stuff about Muslims not making the effort, Muslims saying that Abu Katadah, Hamza et al were bad Muslims, Muslims who aren't up for sleeping in ditches cos they missed their wives- oh and Atilla says that whilst on holiday he found oil on his land in Cyprus.
In the many short breaks today I started reading Will Self's Great Apes. I think I'm going to give up though. What is it about scag heads and long complicated words? I don't get it.
HAMZA
Alan Jones, QC, for Abu Hamza, told City of Westminster magistrates that some of the evidence against his client included information extracted from two men who were tortured at Guantanamo Bay. Timothy Workman, the senior district judge, rejected this argument, saying that the US no longer relies on the evidence of one witness, and that the other is a defendant.
Also Film jeopardises Hamza Terror trial
Also Film jeopardises Hamza Terror trial
October 29, 2007
BOLLOCKINGS ALL ROUND
I arrived at court late this morning to be told the public gallery was still closed, as this undercover guy, Dawood would still be giving evidence. I waited to see if the judge would let me in behind the witness box. Pretty soon the court emptied of journalists on mobile phones ringing their news desks.
Apparently both defence and prosecution had complained about bias and fabrication in news articles over the weekend.
In this blog I try not to complain about press or broadcasters or Police for that matter unless absolutely necessary. When Atilla's wife calls me about misrepresentations I told her the press were just informing the public about the case the prosecution were making. My opinions about the continuing coverage? Its written by people who want these people to be guilty. I don't assume skulduggery or conspiracy. It just looks like a better story.
When everyone was let back in I managed to get in myself past the reluctant security guard to find that the court had been phoned by a concerned member of the public with news of a jury member blabbing at length in some hair salon. Rather than suspend the whole process the judge called them in and delivered another strongly worded bollocking to the jury one of whom was obviously red faced, though from my seat I couldn't see them.
He also spoke to them about the difference between what they heard in the court room and what they might have read in the papers.
"I can see a couple of heads nodding..."
It just remains for me, in this spirit of reprimands to deliver a bollocking to anyone who might be reading this. You've been fucking told. Alright?
In the afternoon instead of Dawood we got some forensic computer geek giving evidence about wmv's and pdf's. No one gave him a bollocking though. The Policeman in charge of transcripts asked me how my website was going.
At least someone is reading I suppose...:-)
Apparently both defence and prosecution had complained about bias and fabrication in news articles over the weekend.
In this blog I try not to complain about press or broadcasters or Police for that matter unless absolutely necessary. When Atilla's wife calls me about misrepresentations I told her the press were just informing the public about the case the prosecution were making. My opinions about the continuing coverage? Its written by people who want these people to be guilty. I don't assume skulduggery or conspiracy. It just looks like a better story.
When everyone was let back in I managed to get in myself past the reluctant security guard to find that the court had been phoned by a concerned member of the public with news of a jury member blabbing at length in some hair salon. Rather than suspend the whole process the judge called them in and delivered another strongly worded bollocking to the jury one of whom was obviously red faced, though from my seat I couldn't see them.
He also spoke to them about the difference between what they heard in the court room and what they might have read in the papers.
"I can see a couple of heads nodding..."
It just remains for me, in this spirit of reprimands to deliver a bollocking to anyone who might be reading this. You've been fucking told. Alright?
In the afternoon instead of Dawood we got some forensic computer geek giving evidence about wmv's and pdf's. No one gave him a bollocking though. The Policeman in charge of transcripts asked me how my website was going.
At least someone is reading I suppose...:-)
October 27, 2007
Hull, Hell and Halifax
BBC
Telegrah/ITN
I missed this. Was at a funeral in Hull where I learned the expression "God save us from Hull, Hell and Halifax" which apparently refers to the middle ages use of the gibbet on thieves which was considered barbaric compared to cities elsewhere who just hung them.
Telegrah/ITN
I missed this. Was at a funeral in Hull where I learned the expression "God save us from Hull, Hell and Halifax" which apparently refers to the middle ages use of the gibbet on thieves which was considered barbaric compared to cities elsewhere who just hung them.
October 24, 2007
October 23, 2007
ANORAK?
Just got this
Neither Musa, nor Atillas wife have spoken out in the media before. All this serious journalism about Atilla and they decide to comment on an article called "Pole vaulting for Allah." They are nuts. Both of them.
Atilla Ahmet's wife and brother speak out on Anorak (?) of all places. I'll put up the full text:
Neither Musa, nor Atillas wife have spoken out in the media before. All this serious journalism about Atilla and they decide to comment on an article called "Pole vaulting for Allah." They are nuts. Both of them.
Atilla Ahmet's wife and brother speak out on Anorak (?) of all places. I'll put up the full text:
OFF TO MOROCCO ITS GOING TO BE GREAT
Managed a couple of hours of garbled tapes this morning. They had stepped up security considerably with armed Police just inside the entrance and another check by the public gallery entrance. Maybe a more serious terrorist case was going on next door in Court 2? Don't know.
Mr. Defence cross examined the guy who made the transcripts about Hamid's referral to the "Magnificent 15" as it had been suggested that he was referring to the 9/11 hijackers. The prosecution stood and said that was no longer the case.
So much for all this.
He also said that whilst he was not acting for Atilla Ahmet, it could be said that he was upset about being called "Al-Qaeda's No 1 in Europe" not boasting about it. I have film somewhere of Atilla complaining when this allegation was first made, a long time ago in the Turkish press if I remember rightly.
I heard a lot of garbled stuff about making a strong brotherhood, and supporting each other financially and how great a trip to Morocco for 100 quid each would be. Without transcripts I can't really help you. Fuck knows what is going on down there really.
Mr. Defence cross examined the guy who made the transcripts about Hamid's referral to the "Magnificent 15" as it had been suggested that he was referring to the 9/11 hijackers. The prosecution stood and said that was no longer the case.
So much for all this.
He also said that whilst he was not acting for Atilla Ahmet, it could be said that he was upset about being called "Al-Qaeda's No 1 in Europe" not boasting about it. I have film somewhere of Atilla complaining when this allegation was first made, a long time ago in the Turkish press if I remember rightly.
I heard a lot of garbled stuff about making a strong brotherhood, and supporting each other financially and how great a trip to Morocco for 100 quid each would be. Without transcripts I can't really help you. Fuck knows what is going on down there really.
October 22, 2007
via Harry's Place: Muslim contractor waives fee to build synagogue
"Abraham is our forefather," Bayyari said. "We're first cousins. How we got to hate each other is beyond me."
"Abraham is our forefather," Bayyari said. "We're first cousins. How we got to hate each other is beyond me."
October 21, 2007
OUTDATED POLITICS
I don't really give a shit about leftist infighting anymore but this is very funny:
"Off you go - fuck off, fuck off the lot of you"
"Off you go - fuck off, fuck off the lot of you"
October 20, 2007
October 19, 2007
CONSPIRACY THEORIES
Yup. Definitely heard some conspiring today but it was fucking hard work getting there.
"Get your feet off the glass."
"Yes mate. Get the fucking sound working."
"Yes mate."
There are some very nice staff in Belmarsh, I've heard it is true on the inside as well. The defendants certainly started in high spirits. The staff at the Old Bailey are ten times nicer.
I saw Atilla plead guilty there thanks to Daniel. I called Atilla's wife for confirmation. I had heard a rumor also from Hajj. I brought my girlfriend along to hold my hand as I wasn't sure how emotional I would get. The lovely Barbadian court attendant (Barbadan? fuck knows.) was gushing about how much healthier I was looking, and quick to attribute it all to my beautiful girlfriend. I agreed.
Obviously this "Jihad calypso" upset me, I called his wife who told me it was preceeded by "Just in case the tree's are bugged..." and was a joke, he didn't know the tree's were actually bugged. I got a call back, Atilla's wife puting the phones together I heard a familiar voice.
"Don't believe what they say about me in the papers."
Anyway back to the current story...
Hamid pronounced Atilla the Emir.
Hamid declared the group, who were arguing about a trip to Morocco to be the "Inner Circle." He then went on to say that nothing that was said in the room should be repeated outside it, not even to your wife. Atilla also said words to this effect as did a deep Jamaican voice I took to belong to Mousah Brown. Atilla said that there were brothers who should have been there who weren't and said that you couldn't even get enough brothers around for a good trip to Morocco these days
Mousah said the Police had spoken to them on the way in from France and given them a proper talking to.
A conspiracy is hatched. Whether it is a holiday to Morocco, a terrorist conspiracy or a group of Islamic warriors fighting against a satanist conspiracy I am not sure. I asked for some transcripts but I heard that even some of the defense don't have any.
Looking down from the public gallery as I sank lower and lower into my chair I felt as if the whole courtroom was like the final scenes from Titanic. A sea of people wading and wading through garbled cassette tape. Hamid is fucking impossible to understand. Very dramatic. Atilla is more bassy but further away, Mousah is crystal clear and very bassy.
I couldn't blog about it at the time, when Atilla for whatever reason changed from Aranis representing him to Paul Butcher, I handed over my tapes and had two conversations about my take on the guy. I was told that I couldn't go to the court case, as I was a potential witness which sort of fucked me up documentary wise. I thought Mr Butcher, who has previously tangled with the Fake Sheik, very able to defend Atilla, but I wasn't sure that me appearing in such grand circumstance would particularly help Atiila's case, unless I was allowed to play guitar to the jury or something.
I've had to split my head in two for this one. I don't know Hamid well. I've only met him twice I think. For some reason, Hamza's trial was much easier. I was pretty convinced, after seeing him in the street, that he was against randomly blowing innocent people up in London. He preached this a number of times.
He seemed to think he was shouting his point across, and that he should address the cameras while they were on him so although I never really liked him, nor he I, I thought he was who he says he was in court.
I have yet to hear the evidence from Yemeni phone conversations.
I could see that amongst Muslims Hamza had indeed said some very dodgy things he needed to be held to account for, but on the street in the glare of publicity he cooled all this a fucking hell of a lot, and seemed desperate to ally himself to the majority in this country who he felt opposed the actions of the government. Anyway enough about Hamza.
Without at least meeting Atilla I can't really see how the jury can get a true picture of this conspiracy. He pleaded guilty but to what? Was he the Emir? What was he planning to do?
Scotsman
I must have missed this witness. This is rubbish. As I've said before, Hamid used to come up the mosque very occasionally, but he certainly wasn't part of the tiny "inner circle" around Hamza as far as I could see.
TEDIUM AD NAUSEUM
I could only handle a few hours of listening to garbled tapes yesterday. The jury had headphones and a transcript. Every ten minutes or so the PC who made the transcripts was cross examined. I head Atilla's voice for the first time in court, which for some strange reason seemed a little clearer in the recording. I was waiting to hear something incriminating. I think I made out him saying that there wasn't much point in protesting and something about standing silently in a long line. Fuck knows.
Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck. 3 I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail...
ITN
Save me, O God,
for the waters have come up to my neck. 3 I am worn out calling for help;
my throat is parched.
My eyes fail...
ITN
October 16, 2007
YAWN
I actually fell asleep in court this afternoon. We were let in downstairs because some surveillance officers were giving evidence behind a screen. I got a tap on the foot from a journalist. I don't think they were as bored as I was. I think my coat is a bit too warm and sleeping bag like.
In the morning another Cumbrian cop turned up, to back up his pals description the previous day of seeing the guys training military style. Seems he backed it up a bit too well.
"So you didn't just copy his statement at a later date?" asked Mr defence..
"No."
"Can I remind you you are under oath? let me ask that again..."
"No."
"I'll read your friends statement, line by line, stopping to let you read a line of yours..."
They matched exactly, all the way through. To the letter.
"And you didn't copy your mates statement?"
"No."
We missed the first bit of screened officers giving evidence but when we came in for the second half the defence were making a big deal about the fact that the written statements didn't match up to the photographs and video evidence they provided, which seemed to amount to film of the guys (including Muktar Said Ibrahim) waking up in the morning and scratching their butts etc, and film of them running haphazardly down a slope with a few of them doing sit-ups at the end. There were also 70 photographs of them playing football.
In a written statement one of the covert surveillance guys said that whilst playing football they would often hit the deck and mime throwing hand grenades, or mine holding rifles.
"Go through them slowly and tell me which of the 70 photographs you took show this?"
"None of them."
Also in a written statement they refer to "leopard crawling" and "anti ambush training".
We watched again the tape of the guys running down the hill, some of them slowing down at the back, with maybe three of them doing sit ups, this time with the sound up. You can hear the voice of the officer giving evidence describing this as "Anti-Ambush training".
Telegraph
BBC
Newham recorder
In the morning another Cumbrian cop turned up, to back up his pals description the previous day of seeing the guys training military style. Seems he backed it up a bit too well.
"So you didn't just copy his statement at a later date?" asked Mr defence..
"No."
"Can I remind you you are under oath? let me ask that again..."
"No."
"I'll read your friends statement, line by line, stopping to let you read a line of yours..."
They matched exactly, all the way through. To the letter.
"And you didn't copy your mates statement?"
"No."
We missed the first bit of screened officers giving evidence but when we came in for the second half the defence were making a big deal about the fact that the written statements didn't match up to the photographs and video evidence they provided, which seemed to amount to film of the guys (including Muktar Said Ibrahim) waking up in the morning and scratching their butts etc, and film of them running haphazardly down a slope with a few of them doing sit-ups at the end. There were also 70 photographs of them playing football.
In a written statement one of the covert surveillance guys said that whilst playing football they would often hit the deck and mime throwing hand grenades, or mine holding rifles.
"Go through them slowly and tell me which of the 70 photographs you took show this?"
"None of them."
Also in a written statement they refer to "leopard crawling" and "anti ambush training".
We watched again the tape of the guys running down the hill, some of them slowing down at the back, with maybe three of them doing sit ups, this time with the sound up. You can hear the voice of the officer giving evidence describing this as "Anti-Ambush training".
Telegraph
BBC
Newham recorder
October 15, 2007
BORING
Very boring day hearing from an Indian Policeman who arrested Hamid and Muktar Said Ibrahim, being called a "Cow worshiper" in the process. The chief defence guy (Joel) gave him a thorough questioning. Another stranger and much larger white female Police officer with blonde hair which was died a punky red underneath at the back, maybe to enable her true colours to be hid within a pony tail whilst on duty.
She, during investigations into 7/7 and 21/7 had taken a statement from Hamid about his knowledge of the 21/7 bombers. Of note (to the defence) within it he stated that he didn't believe either 9/11, 7/7 or 21/7 were the work of Islamic extremists and gave her copies of Illuminazi and a 9/11 conspiracy film.
We also heard from a very sweet "Community support" officer who had obviously spent a bit of her time on duty listening to Hamids rants about conspiracies.
"He was quite often depressed?" asked Joel (chief defence)
"Yes."
"Did you think of him as eccentric?"
"No." she answered.
Next we heard from an extremely nervous Cumbrian farmer. I mean seriously, this guy looked like he thought he was going to be dragged off and locked up himself at any moment. During some inordinately long and cruel gaps his eyes darted around the court room, probably in the same manner as one of his sheep when cornered.
"Did you have any contact whilst they were there?" asked the prosecution.
"No."
"Did you know why they stopped coming?"
"No."
"Did you ask them to stop coming?"
"No."
So much for newspaper tales of "My Taliban".
Mr Defence snidely suggested the farmer was running his campsite as a cash business on the side.
We then heard from two Cumbria Policemen, one of whom spoke of seeing three men doing forward rolls with sticks held like rifles, another who saw Asian looking dudes in military formation. He said that he himself was ex-military and had instructed on similar training courses.
One of the defence showed the second cop a video from covert surveillance showing the guys running down a hill and doing sit ups at the bottom.
"If your troop were training like this you'd send them all back up the hill with instructions to do it double time no?"
"Those I saw were much better trained than that."
From the start I thought we weren't going to hear what the witnesses had to say upstairs behind glass because the witness box microphone wasn't switched on. Being a bit too English I took my time asking one of the court staff to sort it, and when it eventually was sorted we had continual trouble with feedback.
Why are these able lawyers and court staff such ludites? Surely everyone knows that if you point a fucking microphone at a speaker you get feedback. I explained this a couple of times, it was relayed downstairs to the court usher who uselessly went over, tapped the microphone and left it in the same position.
After a long lunch I was able to frantically wave directions through the glass. I'd forgotten how tedious court cases are sometimes. I don't know how the jury stay awake.
I'm not sure about all this business about "Jihadi training". Everyone in Finsbury park believed Allah commanded them to train. They train together all the time. They all believed very strongly that some apocalyptic purge against Muslims was coming soon, and they had to be in shape to be able to defend their families. They believed it and it happened- to them. They are a self fulfilling prophesy.
Anyway on the way home I indulged one of my "other" obsessive compulsive habits. Anyone who's read my blog before might know that I collect newspaper advertisements with "double meanings". When I was more depressed and a lot crazier I used to rip out ones that offended me, ones which said RAPE!!! MUGGING!! EXCLUSIVE PICTURES!!! and suchlike.
I had to have this one:
I instantly had an image of an evil cartoon skunk with a mad grin on his face turning on a huge tap.
She, during investigations into 7/7 and 21/7 had taken a statement from Hamid about his knowledge of the 21/7 bombers. Of note (to the defence) within it he stated that he didn't believe either 9/11, 7/7 or 21/7 were the work of Islamic extremists and gave her copies of Illuminazi and a 9/11 conspiracy film.
We also heard from a very sweet "Community support" officer who had obviously spent a bit of her time on duty listening to Hamids rants about conspiracies.
"He was quite often depressed?" asked Joel (chief defence)
"Yes."
"Did you think of him as eccentric?"
"No." she answered.
Next we heard from an extremely nervous Cumbrian farmer. I mean seriously, this guy looked like he thought he was going to be dragged off and locked up himself at any moment. During some inordinately long and cruel gaps his eyes darted around the court room, probably in the same manner as one of his sheep when cornered.
"Did you have any contact whilst they were there?" asked the prosecution.
"No."
"Did you know why they stopped coming?"
"No."
"Did you ask them to stop coming?"
"No."
So much for newspaper tales of "My Taliban".
Mr Defence snidely suggested the farmer was running his campsite as a cash business on the side.
We then heard from two Cumbria Policemen, one of whom spoke of seeing three men doing forward rolls with sticks held like rifles, another who saw Asian looking dudes in military formation. He said that he himself was ex-military and had instructed on similar training courses.
One of the defence showed the second cop a video from covert surveillance showing the guys running down a hill and doing sit ups at the bottom.
"If your troop were training like this you'd send them all back up the hill with instructions to do it double time no?"
"Those I saw were much better trained than that."
From the start I thought we weren't going to hear what the witnesses had to say upstairs behind glass because the witness box microphone wasn't switched on. Being a bit too English I took my time asking one of the court staff to sort it, and when it eventually was sorted we had continual trouble with feedback.
Why are these able lawyers and court staff such ludites? Surely everyone knows that if you point a fucking microphone at a speaker you get feedback. I explained this a couple of times, it was relayed downstairs to the court usher who uselessly went over, tapped the microphone and left it in the same position.
After a long lunch I was able to frantically wave directions through the glass. I'd forgotten how tedious court cases are sometimes. I don't know how the jury stay awake.
I'm not sure about all this business about "Jihadi training". Everyone in Finsbury park believed Allah commanded them to train. They train together all the time. They all believed very strongly that some apocalyptic purge against Muslims was coming soon, and they had to be in shape to be able to defend their families. They believed it and it happened- to them. They are a self fulfilling prophesy.
Anyway on the way home I indulged one of my "other" obsessive compulsive habits. Anyone who's read my blog before might know that I collect newspaper advertisements with "double meanings". When I was more depressed and a lot crazier I used to rip out ones that offended me, ones which said RAPE!!! MUGGING!! EXCLUSIVE PICTURES!!! and suchlike.
I had to have this one:
I instantly had an image of an evil cartoon skunk with a mad grin on his face turning on a huge tap.
October 13, 2007
TIM
To our number one cracked actor, good luck on your next stage. You are going to be missed on this one.
October 10, 2007
OSAMA BIN LONDON FOR BREAKFAST
I met Hamid a couple of times at Speakers Corner in Hyde park though I only filmed him talking to Barry one of the times the mosque opened. He wasn't that regular in Finsbury park, I believe he was instrumental in the negotiations between the waring factions.
Channel 4 News:
An Islamic leader who called himself "Osama Bin London" groomed and corrupted young Muslims - including the 21/7 bombers - at terror training camps across Britain, a court has heard. Mohammed Hamid told his followers the 52 deaths in the July 7 attacks on London were "not even breakfast to me", the jury was told.
...He ran an Islamic bookstall on Oxford Street with Muktar Ibrahim, one of the guilty bombers, where he was arrested for being aggressive to members of the public and making a racist comment to a policeman, the jury was told.
... Hamid, 50, of Clapton, east London, is accused of soliciting to murder, a charge to which co-accused Atilla Ahmet has already pleaded guilty.
...The court also heard how Hamid and two other of his co-defendants, Mousa Brown and Mohammed al-Figari, were filmed paintballing in February 2005 by a BBC crew in Tonbridge, Kent, for a documentary called “Don’t Panic, I’m Islamic.”
Five of the six defendants, along with July 21 bombers Ramzi Mohammed and Hussein Osman, were at the same centre on July 3 - just four days before the suicide attacks in London, it was alleged. MI5 put a recording device in Hamid’s home in September 2005 and in April 2006 an undercover officer approached his stall in Oxford Street and was invited to join the Friday prayer meetings and to go on camping weekends in the New Forest and at an Islamic school in Sussex.
It was at the school in Sussex on July 22 2006, that Hamid’s comments about the July 7 deaths more than a year earlier were recorded.
He was heard on surveillance tapes telling a follower: “You know what happened on the Tubes, four people got shaheed (martyred). How many people did they take out? That’s not even a breakfast for me....
Yup. I've been at the trial for a couple of days now where the judge amongst other things had to decide whether Attila's guilty plea could be referred to by the prosecution. I saw Atilla plead guilty a while back. Now reporting restrictions have been lifted I can tell you that when the possibility of him "going guilty" came up in conversations with his wife over the phone and Hajj in person I always told them I thought it was a good idea and that I thought a jury would convict him. I didn't and still don't know most of the evidence against him.
Hamids defence asked for a copy of my film of him talking to Barry which I gave them. I recognise some of the Jamaican guys from Finsbury park and know Jamal, who wrote this a while back went paint balling with them for the documentary. He has been inside a long time but not for anything terrorist related.
Can't really say a lot more yet. It all looks like a bunch of public school kids with wigs acting from the public gallery. All eyes turned to the jury as they filed in below me out of sight. I thought they were all trying to suck up to them early. I didn't realise a hundred people had just walked in. The judge whitled the number down to thirty who would be up for a long trial by a show of hands.
More tales from the public gallery when I can get there. I'm not allowed to write notes up there, which is strange as I could in the Old Bailey, maybe I should get special dispensation from the judge. Ther is however a glass partition so we can talk a bit more without getting thrown out.
Obviously in the case of Abdullah (Atilla Ahmet) I feel a personal sense of failure that I wasn't able to involve him in something more constructive media-wise or to reach out to him on a more personal level. This was all a long time ago for me, and as I said I saw Abdullah plead guilty a while ago. I'm conscious that this isn't the end of the story, for me anyway and I hope something positive will come out of all this.
Guardian got the story wrong, as I said Attila pleaded guilty a while ago.
The Sun got it wrong, Ahmet didn't run the stall with Hamid, that was Muktar Said Ibrahim.
Press Associaltion
BBC News report on Atilla
ITN
Tampon teabag's reaction to Atilla's song
Channel 4 News:
An Islamic leader who called himself "Osama Bin London" groomed and corrupted young Muslims - including the 21/7 bombers - at terror training camps across Britain, a court has heard. Mohammed Hamid told his followers the 52 deaths in the July 7 attacks on London were "not even breakfast to me", the jury was told.
...He ran an Islamic bookstall on Oxford Street with Muktar Ibrahim, one of the guilty bombers, where he was arrested for being aggressive to members of the public and making a racist comment to a policeman, the jury was told.
... Hamid, 50, of Clapton, east London, is accused of soliciting to murder, a charge to which co-accused Atilla Ahmet has already pleaded guilty.
...The court also heard how Hamid and two other of his co-defendants, Mousa Brown and Mohammed al-Figari, were filmed paintballing in February 2005 by a BBC crew in Tonbridge, Kent, for a documentary called “Don’t Panic, I’m Islamic.”
Five of the six defendants, along with July 21 bombers Ramzi Mohammed and Hussein Osman, were at the same centre on July 3 - just four days before the suicide attacks in London, it was alleged. MI5 put a recording device in Hamid’s home in September 2005 and in April 2006 an undercover officer approached his stall in Oxford Street and was invited to join the Friday prayer meetings and to go on camping weekends in the New Forest and at an Islamic school in Sussex.
It was at the school in Sussex on July 22 2006, that Hamid’s comments about the July 7 deaths more than a year earlier were recorded.
He was heard on surveillance tapes telling a follower: “You know what happened on the Tubes, four people got shaheed (martyred). How many people did they take out? That’s not even a breakfast for me....
Yup. I've been at the trial for a couple of days now where the judge amongst other things had to decide whether Attila's guilty plea could be referred to by the prosecution. I saw Atilla plead guilty a while back. Now reporting restrictions have been lifted I can tell you that when the possibility of him "going guilty" came up in conversations with his wife over the phone and Hajj in person I always told them I thought it was a good idea and that I thought a jury would convict him. I didn't and still don't know most of the evidence against him.
Hamids defence asked for a copy of my film of him talking to Barry which I gave them. I recognise some of the Jamaican guys from Finsbury park and know Jamal, who wrote this a while back went paint balling with them for the documentary. He has been inside a long time but not for anything terrorist related.
Can't really say a lot more yet. It all looks like a bunch of public school kids with wigs acting from the public gallery. All eyes turned to the jury as they filed in below me out of sight. I thought they were all trying to suck up to them early. I didn't realise a hundred people had just walked in. The judge whitled the number down to thirty who would be up for a long trial by a show of hands.
More tales from the public gallery when I can get there. I'm not allowed to write notes up there, which is strange as I could in the Old Bailey, maybe I should get special dispensation from the judge. Ther is however a glass partition so we can talk a bit more without getting thrown out.
Obviously in the case of Abdullah (Atilla Ahmet) I feel a personal sense of failure that I wasn't able to involve him in something more constructive media-wise or to reach out to him on a more personal level. This was all a long time ago for me, and as I said I saw Abdullah plead guilty a while ago. I'm conscious that this isn't the end of the story, for me anyway and I hope something positive will come out of all this.
Guardian got the story wrong, as I said Attila pleaded guilty a while ago.
The Sun got it wrong, Ahmet didn't run the stall with Hamid, that was Muktar Said Ibrahim.
Press Associaltion
BBC News report on Atilla
ITN
Tampon teabag's reaction to Atilla's song
October 07, 2007
October 04, 2007
October 03, 2007
MALUNG TV NEWS
OK, clicking through I've found a site which appears to have a newish message from Omar Bakri I was unaware of which features Abu Abdullah and Hamza. Connected is what appears to be a UK based blog. I don't know these people, I contacted IslamBase when they first started featuring my videos but got no reply.
I was watching it to see if the faces of those arrested with Abdullah were going to appear as I'm still not sure which faces, I have presumably met to put the names to. I'm featuring this video, but I'm not supporting it- catch my drift?
Appearing on Getty Images as "the unknown supporter" (maybe there'll be a statue one day?) has shit me up a bit to be honest, I'm hoping its an accident and they overlooked THE FUCKING RING THROUGH THE NOSE but maybe to make clear about things I ought to take the time to explain myself.
When I first started painting psychedelic images, I was overjoyed to find that I had my "own way" of realising an image on canvas if you get my meaning. During my erratic experiments in Finsbury park I sort of found "my own way" of film making, which so far financially has drawn a big zero, so in conventional terms of "success" I'm not a film maker am I?
Maybe if I'd tried very hard to get in Islamists confidence, and then tried to expose them I'd have got "somewhere" quicker. You think?
Anyway I'm here and over the years if there has been one thing which has unified my approach to filming people is that I just try and let people talk. Tell me their truth, if you get my meaning. I want to edit it so as they would say-
"I am happy that is a true representation of what I told you"
- whoever they are.
I'm upfront about whatever situational and experiential bias I might have. I realise we all come from different sides to "this". I am very much motivated by a desire for these different sides to meet each other, and to stay in contact, which is why I appreciate Uncle Jimbo's filmed liasons with his local "looney left". I think if Jimbo and these guys are recognising each other, and communicating it has to be a good thing no?
I feature Jimbo's stuff, I feature Jihadi video's. I don't support either. Over the years in Finsbury park I tried to report what Hamza and Abdullah etc were saying, we conversed with a camera running. A lot of things I would support them on, in general I tried to keep to those subjects, as there was really no point in falling out with them without a TV deal, or at least a more realistic prospect of making a "proper film", whatever that is.
I would think it was obvious that there are a few things I wouldn't support them on. At the time, I thought it was really important that they were preaching against terrorist acts in this country time and time again on the street. Pre 7/7 I thought this was important for, I don't know, maybe MUSLIMS to be hearing. Selfish? Maybe. Ask Rachel.
I don't really challenge people with a camera, I try to absorb. I'm in a situation where I can leave being confrontational to the experts, so thats what I've done. I tried the same thing with the National Front to test my theories. Now this theory testing has put me in a position where I may not be making money from all this, but my videos are, for my good graces being featured by online communities of National Front supporters and Islamic "Fundamentalists".
Now I haven't had any contact with either, and I don't think either group would support me. Neither would I support them. The only Islamists I have ever felt any "support" from as a film maker were Hajj, Abdullah, Jamal (who wouldn't appear on camera) and Mr Dumplings, all of whom, though they weren't allowed to have "friends amongst the kaffir" nevertheless seemed to have built up a level of trust with me. Abdullah's in jail. Jamal is in jail. Dumplings has been in and come out of jail, Hajj is round the corner.
As I've said before, I'm out of this now. Its not that I don't give a shit anymore, I just concentrate on playing guitar and try not to upset myself.
So who is supporting who? Am I for Israel or Palestine? Bush or Bin Laden? Tory or Labour? Red or White? Us or Them?
To be honest I'm continually overwhelmed by the sheer luck of living in a situation where I can speak without fear. I think those of us who have this precious opportunity should use it to try and sort it for the rest.
Is that possible? I don't know. Why are we here?
I was watching it to see if the faces of those arrested with Abdullah were going to appear as I'm still not sure which faces, I have presumably met to put the names to. I'm featuring this video, but I'm not supporting it- catch my drift?
Appearing on Getty Images as "the unknown supporter" (maybe there'll be a statue one day?) has shit me up a bit to be honest, I'm hoping its an accident and they overlooked THE FUCKING RING THROUGH THE NOSE but maybe to make clear about things I ought to take the time to explain myself.
When I first started painting psychedelic images, I was overjoyed to find that I had my "own way" of realising an image on canvas if you get my meaning. During my erratic experiments in Finsbury park I sort of found "my own way" of film making, which so far financially has drawn a big zero, so in conventional terms of "success" I'm not a film maker am I?
Maybe if I'd tried very hard to get in Islamists confidence, and then tried to expose them I'd have got "somewhere" quicker. You think?
Anyway I'm here and over the years if there has been one thing which has unified my approach to filming people is that I just try and let people talk. Tell me their truth, if you get my meaning. I want to edit it so as they would say-
"I am happy that is a true representation of what I told you"
- whoever they are.
I'm upfront about whatever situational and experiential bias I might have. I realise we all come from different sides to "this". I am very much motivated by a desire for these different sides to meet each other, and to stay in contact, which is why I appreciate Uncle Jimbo's filmed liasons with his local "looney left". I think if Jimbo and these guys are recognising each other, and communicating it has to be a good thing no?
I feature Jimbo's stuff, I feature Jihadi video's. I don't support either. Over the years in Finsbury park I tried to report what Hamza and Abdullah etc were saying, we conversed with a camera running. A lot of things I would support them on, in general I tried to keep to those subjects, as there was really no point in falling out with them without a TV deal, or at least a more realistic prospect of making a "proper film", whatever that is.
I would think it was obvious that there are a few things I wouldn't support them on. At the time, I thought it was really important that they were preaching against terrorist acts in this country time and time again on the street. Pre 7/7 I thought this was important for, I don't know, maybe MUSLIMS to be hearing. Selfish? Maybe. Ask Rachel.
I don't really challenge people with a camera, I try to absorb. I'm in a situation where I can leave being confrontational to the experts, so thats what I've done. I tried the same thing with the National Front to test my theories. Now this theory testing has put me in a position where I may not be making money from all this, but my videos are, for my good graces being featured by online communities of National Front supporters and Islamic "Fundamentalists".
Now I haven't had any contact with either, and I don't think either group would support me. Neither would I support them. The only Islamists I have ever felt any "support" from as a film maker were Hajj, Abdullah, Jamal (who wouldn't appear on camera) and Mr Dumplings, all of whom, though they weren't allowed to have "friends amongst the kaffir" nevertheless seemed to have built up a level of trust with me. Abdullah's in jail. Jamal is in jail. Dumplings has been in and come out of jail, Hajj is round the corner.
As I've said before, I'm out of this now. Its not that I don't give a shit anymore, I just concentrate on playing guitar and try not to upset myself.
So who is supporting who? Am I for Israel or Palestine? Bush or Bin Laden? Tory or Labour? Red or White? Us or Them?
To be honest I'm continually overwhelmed by the sheer luck of living in a situation where I can speak without fear. I think those of us who have this precious opportunity should use it to try and sort it for the rest.
Is that possible? I don't know. Why are we here?
October 01, 2007
Why do bloggers always post pictures of their fucking cats?
to: mice@kitchen.comI am the knife and I am a pathological killer. I will kill you. Be very afraid.
What is it about intellectuals? Or is it me? I've watched Noam Chomskys Manufacturing Consent, and its all very well, I suppose. I agreed with his conclusions before I watched his movie, but really this guy seems like hes in his own garden of definitions just as much as he's accusing "the manufacturers" of cooking up definitions for us. I finally watched Richard Dawkins God Delusion and Virus of Faith and he's the same. I mean what is he doing really?
Walks up to a rabbi, camp voice says "There ithz no God Mr. Wabbi. You are wong."
I mean, I could do that.
Also: Type in Abu Hamza for an image search, up comes a picture of me from someone at Getty Images. Great shot no? I look really dynamic.
Says: Unknown supporters of Abu Hamza Al-Masari exit Belmarsh Magistrates court.
Now, hang on a fucking second....
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October 15th, 2007 at 10:14 am
The papers have all got it wrong,lies and more lies,I was there at the time of the made up song and and it wasnt like that at all,we were camping with our familys not with young men, or children and Atilla said to his friend in the camping grounds “ere i bet the trees are bugged and as a sarcatstic joke he made up a silly song as a wind up,but little did we know an undercover was recording.Atilla only ever went camping with his family so the papers should thire facts right.
October 15th, 2007 at 10:39 am
Also the reason he pleaded guilty was because he felt he wasnt going to get a fair trial,with the way the media demonized him,obviously he cant defend himself in court now,theres always 2 sides to a story. The cps have stitched him up and lied and theyre allowed to get away with it,and all the papers do is take what they say and add to it and twist the story so it looks like they are right.Had the cps played the recording of the song in court the jury would have heard he was messing around,but they read it out instead.
October 15th, 2007 at 11:47 pm
i am the elder brother of atilla ahmet, i was with him on the 1st of september 06 outside the bridge to chinatown restaurant, i was also arrested and spent 8 months in prison, the terrorist charges was dropped ,to justify 8months of being in prison, the cops(pigs)still took me to the old bailey to face a charge under the firearms act, i was found NOT GUILTY august of this year 2007,the press lied about my case, especially the BBC, i would not spit on the media as my spit would become contaminated, thats how filthy they are,and now more and more lies about my brother atilla, you are not satisfied that my brother has pleaded guilty even though he is not guilty, when will the lies stop,when will the media tell the truth,the answer, NEVER NEVER NEVER..