Birmingham Terror Convict Claims Innocence in Ramadan Message from Prison
Khobaib Hussain, a Birmingham member of a convicted terror group that dubbed themselves the Three Musketeers, has claimed "we are innocent" in a Ramadan message issued from behind bars. Hussain and three others were jailed for life in 2017 for planning what authorities described as a "mass casualty attack." The case led to part of Birmingham city centre being evacuated when MI5 officers, sent to bug a car belonging to one of the gang, discovered a pipe bomb and a meat cleaver hidden in a JD Sports bag.
The Plot and Conviction
The Old Bailey heard during the trial that the gang had sought out infamous Islamic State supporter Anjem Choudary before preparing to strike police and military targets on British soil. Now referring to themselves as the Birmingham Four, they have asserted they were framed and that police planted the pipe bomb. Hussain, formerly of Evelyn Road in Sparkhill, Birmingham, is serving a minimum term of 20 years. In his statement released this weekend, he declared, "It’s been almost a decade now, and me and my co-defendants are still fighting for justice. With the truth on our side, we are instilled with an unwavering conviction that one day that truth will expose the lies and fabrication for all to see, and we shall one day be free."
Hussain's Statement and Background
Hussain added, "The truth is powerful and always prevails over falsehood. We continue our quest for justice to be done and remain ever hopeful as the believers do not despair. Alhumdulillah for another Ramadan, even if it is inside prison." He issued his statement via the Cage International website, an organization that campaigns on the status and whereabouts of prisoners seized under the war on terror. Former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Moazzam Begg, from Birmingham, serves as the group's outreach director.
Details of the Convicted Individuals
The convicted individuals include:
- Naweed Ali, then 30, of Evelyn Road, Birmingham
- Khobaib Hussain, then 25, of Evelyn Road, Birmingham
- Mohibur Rahman, then 34, of High Lane, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent
All are serving minimum terms of 20 years. They were said to have called themselves the Three Musketeers in group messages. Tahir Aziz, then 39, of Wulstan Road, Cobridge, Stoke, was jailed for at least 15 years for his lesser role in the plot.
Police Response and Investigation
After the conviction, Detective Chief Superintendent Matt Ward, head of West Midlands Police’s counter terrorism unit, stated that the men had been planning a "mass casualty attack." He described the investigation as one of the most "demanding, challenging and ambitious" operations the force had ever mounted. Ward defended the use of undercover tactics, emphasizing they were necessary to catch what he termed "really dangerous individuals." He explained, "What we can be clear about is these men have a very clear extremist ideology, one based around hatred, one based around using violence to get their ends. There is no doubt had the plot not been stopped, there would have been a loss of life. I’m really proud of our officers, I’m particularly proud of our undercover operatives who were in an incredibly dangerous situation. They were living and working alongside a very dangerous group of individuals, who—if their cover had been blown at any stage—their lives would have been at risk."
