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British Airways Computer Expert Plotted to Blow Up Plane with Extremist Group

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Rajib Karim, a 31-year-old computer expert working for British Airways in the UK, was found to have been in communication with an Islamic extremist cleric, Anwar al-Awlaki, according to a court hearing. The evidence presented suggests that Karim shared sensitive information about his employer and had been planning to carry out a "spectacular" suicide attack that would bring him martyrdom.

Key Takeaways:

  • Karim worked as a computer expert for British Airways in the UK and had access to the airliner's offices in the city and at Heathrow.
  • He was in communication with Anwar al-Awlaki, an Islamic extremist cleric who is believed to be hiding in the mountains of Yemen.
  • Karim shared sensitive information about his employer and had been planning to carry out a "spectacular" suicide attack that would bring him martyrdom.
  • The defendant had been working for British Airways since September 2007 and had a seemingly ordinary life, attending two mosques and not known to hold extreme views.
  • Karim's brother, Tehzeeb Karim, was also a committed terrorist and member of Jamaat-Ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB).
  • In 2009, Tehzeeb and two others travelled from Bangladesh to Yemen to find the radical al-Awlaki.
  • Karim was arrested on February 25 in Newcastle and had been "relaxed and at ease" during his interview with police.

Statistics:

  • Karim came to the UK in late 2006 as a JMB media operative.
  • He was employed by British Airways for approximately 10 years.
  • The defendant was accused of preparing himself or others for terrorist attacks between December 2006 and his arrest in February last year.
  • Karim admitted to three terror charges: producing a terrorist group's video, raising funds, and volunteering for terror abroad.
  • 2009: The year in which Tehzeeb and two others travelled from Bangladesh to Yemen to find the radical al-Awlaki.
  • 2010: The year in which al-Awlaki emailed Karim with advice on how to use his position to provide intelligence to the terrorist organization.

Sources:

  • [The Telegraph, 2011](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/8322275/British-Airways-computer-expert-on-Tyneside-plotted-to-blow-up-plane.html)
  • [Woolwich Crown Court](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/8322275/British-Airways-computer-expert-on-Tyneside-plotted-to-blow-up-plane.html)

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