A British man, who admitted being a terrorist quartermaster, was jailed for a total of nine years at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 17 March 2006. Mohammed Ajmal Khan, aged 31, bought equipment for use in terrorist operations - some of which may have been used against Coalition Forces in Afghanistan.

The material was sent to the proscribed terrorist group Lashkar-e-Tayibba (LeT). Pakistan-based LeT is a Kashmiri separatist organisation closely affiliated to Al Qaeda. LeT was preparing for, and conducted operations in Afghanistan in 2002/2003, at a time when Coalition forces were heavily engaged in the region.

Khan also attended LeT training camps in Pakistan and by September 2001 held a senior role in the organisation with responsibility for foreign recruits. Khan was jailed for eight years for the terrorist related offences and was jailed for an additional 12 months, to run consecutively, for being in contempt of court.

Mohammed Ajmal Khan pleaded guilty to the following:

Conspiracy to enter into or become concerned in an arrangement as a result of which money or other property is made available or is to be made available for the purposes of terrorism, contrary to Section 1 of the Criminal Law Act 1977.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, head of the MPS Anti-Terrorist Branch, said:

"Mohammed Ajmal Khan is a terrorist. He has been trained in violence. He went to great lengths to buy terrorist equipment, some of which could well have been used against British forces. However, we might never know.

"Khan's conviction is very important. It sends a clear message to anyone prepared to train as a terrorist or support terrorism that they can expect to be prosecuted. We also want to reassure the public that we will continue to do everything possible to fight terrorism.

"Snaresbrook Crown Court heard that Khan had access to over £20,000 in cash to buy a vast array of equipment which taken together, could only have had one use - terrorism. Police have been unable to fully identify the source of these funds."
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