'Lyrical terrorist' wins appeal
"A former Heathrow worker who called herself the "lyrical terrorist" has won an appeal against her conviction.
Samina Malik had been accused of collecting information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.
Ms Malik, 24, from west London, was found guilty at the Old Bailey in November of owning terrorist manuals.
The Court of Appeal has now quashed the conviction after prosecution lawyers conceded it was unsafe".
I am glad to see that common sense has eventually prevailed in this case. It just goes to show the dangers of labelling someone a suspected terrorist, with all the hype and fear that goes with it innocent people end up going to prison.
As Chris Paul has blogged, it's poetic justice.
"However, other documents in her possession, including the al-Qaeda Manual, the Terrorist's Handbook, the Mujahideen Poisons Handbook and several military manuals, clearly retain that potential".
ReplyDeleteThe Lyrical Terrorist as she writes online as, says the poetry was meaningless and that may be so. What was she doing with the above material in her posession, probably research?
nunyaa: I think she was more of an idealist and fantasist that a genuine terrorist threat.
ReplyDeleteI think the law actually required not just the possession but also the will and means to take it further.
This young lady should never have been jailed. There are terrorists out there who pose a danger to all of us. This girl isn't one of them. Going after her just undermines the case for a terror threat.
ReplyDelete