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.
6 comments:
Yeah! I remember summer 06 (or was it summer 05) during one of my ‘aggressive heckles’ at Speakers’ Corner where I goaded Mohammed Hamid that he couldn’t return to Afghanistan as an ‘Aid Worker’ because the authorities had confiscated his passport Mousah Brown retorted that they (both him and Mohammed Hamid) had just returned from France (driving via Dover if I remember correctly) and that they were detained for about 9 hours. He claimed they were only stopped by the police because they were Muslims.
African Neocon
Not because they had been camping with Muktar Said et al.
Hello Dave
Given that you are familiar with this case (and have met Mohammed Hamid and some of the others) could you provide an opinion on this?
At Speakers’ Corner today there seemed to be some who are willing and some who have volunteered to give witness statements on behalf of Mohammed Hamid and others. There were two individuals that I know quite who were mouthing off with pride that they have met with Mohammed Hamid’s solicitor to give statements. And that based on the evidence they have heard from Mohammed’s solicitor there’s no case against him – no evidence.
In my view, giving statements shouldn’t be a problem so long as they are given in good faith without an agenda. The problem with these two individuals (one who is a well known speaker and self-style radical in the park and the other a naïve ‘hang-on’), is that they have constantly argued that the likes of Abu Hamza, Andrew Rowe, the fertilizer bombers (Operation Crevice) were innocent (and that the Government had no real evidence to convict them), and attempt to offer rationale arguments for young British Muslim turning terrorism: British foreign policy is the key driver and until is changes young Muslims will keep turning to terrorism. In addition to all this, this well-known speaker has called for terrorism to be brought home to the UK arguing that only when terror is visited upon the UK that will the UK government understand the frustration of Muslims here and in the Middle East.
My concern is that while they may want to help Mohammed Hamid (arguing that he hasn’t the makings of a terrorist) their views re terrorism has always been to disbelieve that it is a real threat to the UK.
Any thoughts?
African neocon
I was approached as a possible witness when Abdullah's case was going to come to trial. I didn't like the idea of cross examination.
I spoke about this to Daniel sandford at the BBC and he put me sane about it all.
He thought of it as a duty in society to give evidence, and to give the evidence you have in your own way.
These people, if they give evidence will be cross examined, throughly I'm sure.
I'm not at all sure this form of democracy is going the right way at all but I can't see anything better than a "jury of your peers".
Having said that, looking at this jury, they will convict. No question. I can't believe these guys are even bothering to fight this case.
Before I saw the obvious sincerity of the defence council I would have sworn they were just going through the motions for the money.
I haven't answered your question, nor can I really. I'm a film maker mate, and not even a good one.
I just enjoy the story, if you know what I mean. I am not sorry that I have developed an emotional attachment, relationship, whatever with Atilla Ahmet and some of his family. I've known the guy for fucking ages now. I hope it will be of real benefit to both of us in future.
Many thanks for attempting to answer my question in your own way.
Sorry I didn't make it down, I will try for next Sunday.
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