4 men on terror charges. Is paintball a terrorist offence?

[Roger the Horse]

From the BBC website today;

Four in court on terror charges

Twelve were arrested at the restaurant
Four men are due in court to face terrorism charges following a series of police raids in London that targeted an alleged terrorist recruitment network

I was looking at the charges these 4 guys are up for and it appears that
'Yassin Mutegombwa, of Upper Norwood, is charged with three counts of receiving terrorism training, twice at a woodland area near Matley Wood Caravan and Camping site in Lyndhurst, Hampshire, and once near Pondwood Farm, White Waltham, Berkshire.

He is accused of receiving training in Hampshire between 28 April and 1 May, and between 2 June and 4 June this year.

The third charge alleges he received training in Berkshire on 18 June. '


I've just done a google search on Pondwood farm and apparently it is a paintball venue! The site is down at the moment but google says;
'
Absolute Paintball - Organiser of paintball games based at Pondwood Farm. With a woodland site used to host many past international tournaments. ...'


Would this constitute terrorist training under the new terrorism laws? He is apparently the first person to be charged for this. The other place mentioned appears to be a normal campsite.

As for the others ;

'Mr Akmet, 47, of Eltham, is charged with having information useful to a person committing an act of terrorism. He is also charged with possession of a flare launcher under the Firearms Act'

Don't people who own yachts etc have flare launchers?

'Hassan Mutegombwa, also of Upper Norwood, is charged with one count of procuring funds for terrorism'

I think we've seen this accusation before! Was it deliberate or unknowingly?

'And Mr Abdullah, 24, of Stockwell, is charged with having information useful to a person committing an act of terrorism'

Surely a lot of information could be interpretted as being useful to a person commiting an act of terrorism?

Again, this all seems very flimsy!!

[Mark Gobell]

British Law relies on precedents being set.

Once a conviction has been achieved, it is used as a reference for all similar subsequent trials.

These cases are clearly designed to test the new Terrorism laws.

No good passing new laws if you don't test them to find out what can and can't be done within the new legal framework.

That's what's being done now as as been done before.

The 2005 Terrorism Bill was being kicked back and forth between the Lords and the Commons.

7/7 happened to set the new normal for the required legislation, hence Bliar's comments shortly after: "The Rules Have Changed"

Indeed they have.

[Bushwacker]

Quite right, Mark, and it will be interesting to see how the police can establish that training is training for terrorism, if it is anything short of bomb-making.

[Mark Gobell]

Any coincidence that the police have been sending their officers to the very same school for, wait for it . . . .

diversity training.

Just look at these charges:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-6074099,00.html

Four in court after terror swoop
Press Association

Tuesday September 12, 2006 6:48 AM

Four men charged in connection with an anti-terror operation targeting an alleged network of terrorist recruiters are due to appear in court.

All were held during a series of raids across London overnight on September 1, including at a Chinese restaurant in the Borough area of the city.

The operation has also involved anti-terror officers searching an Islamic school in East Sussex.

Musa Akmet, 47, Mustafa Abdullah, 24, and brothers Hassan Mutegombwa, 20, and Yassin Mutegombwa, 22, were all charged under anti-terrorism legislation in connection with the operation. All four men will appear before City of Westminster Magistrates in London.

Akmet, of Eltham, south east London, was charged with one count of possessing information likely to be useful to a terrorist contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000. He was also charged with possessing a firearm - a 16mm mini flare launcher - without a firearms certificate.

Abdullah, of Stockwell, south London, was charged with one count of possessing information likely to be useful to a terrorist.

Scotland Yard said Hassan Mutegombwa had been charged with one count of procuring funds for terrorism contrary to section 15 of the Terrorism Act 2000. Yassin Mutegombwa was charged with three counts of receiving training for terrorism, a new offence contrary to section 6 of the Terrorism Act 2006. A total of eight men remain in custody in connection with the investigation.

The terrorism-related charges against Musa Akmet and Mustafa Abdullah allege that, on September 1 this year, they "without reasonable excuse possessed a record containing information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing an act of terrorism".

The charge against Hassan Mutegombwa alleges that, on July 23 this year, he "invited another to provide money and intended that it should be used, or had reasonable cause to suspect that it may be used, for the purpose of terrorism".

The first two charges against Yassin Mutegombwa allege he received terrorism training at a woodland area near Matley Wood Caravan and Camping site, Beaulieu Road, Lyndhurst, Hampshire. The third charge alleges he received terrorism training near Pondwood Farm, White Waltham, Berkshire on June 18 this year.

Give me strength.

Better get rid of me distress flares that I use for sailing post haste !

And, no more paint ball for a couple of months.

Selling my tent and camping equipement.

And not talking to anyone ever again.

Oh and: neither a lender nor a borrower be . . .

I was expecting some charges like:

Being in posession of some dodgy looking noodles,

or, sharing illegal special fried rice in a manner likely to cause explosions.

[Woodee]

is it just a coincidence that they all appear muslim type names?

[Bushwacker]

[THETRUTHWILLSETU3]

That'll be the end of car boot sales then?

[Bushwacker]

I have found some people who quite openly and blatently offer terrorist type training and the type of information likely to be useful to a terrorist. I shall be notifying the boys in blue. Here are their details.

[foliagecop]

Chortle chortle!

[John White]