Police: Blackburn terror action was 'completely appropriate'

2:12pm Sunday 21st March 2010

By Tom Moseley

POLICE insist they have the backing of the Asian community following the conviction of two Blackburn brothers on terrorism offences.

On Friday Abbas and Ilyas Iqbal were jailed for a total of four years and six months after being found guilty at Manchester Crown Court.

The duo, who wore army-style camouflage clothing, had been seen as a 'laughing stock' by many in the Whalley Range community.

But Chief Superintendent Bob Eastwood, who is in charge of the Blackburn with Darwen, Hyndburn and the Ribble Valley division, denied claims the authorities had overreacted to the threat they posed.

Mr Eastwood, who also headed up Lancashire police’s Diversity and Community Cohesion unit for two years, said: “We have picked up on that, but also we have picked up on people saying ‘thank God they have been convicted, we don’t want people like that in the community'.

“The behaviour was sufficiently serious not only to bring charges, but for the jury to convict them. "Therefore the action we took was completely appropriate.”

Mr Eastwood also insisted the acquittal of Muhammed Ali Ahmad, a white Muslim convert, at the same trial would not inflame community relations, saying it was 'business as usual'.

Police are wary of far-right groups trying to 'capitalise' on the convictions, he said, adding: “I would urge people not to try and inflame community relations, because that doesn’t help anyone.”

Abbas Iqbal, 24, of Percival Street, was sentenced to three years in prison and 23-year-old Ilyas Iqbal, also of Percival Street, was sentenced to 18 months. He walked free from court having already served 447 days in custody.

Abbas was convicted of dissemination of terrorist publications and preparation for acts of terrorism. He was cleared of possessing documents likely to be useful to a terrorist.

Ilyas was convicted of possession of a publication likely to be useful for terrorists. He was cleared of preparing for acts of terrorism and possessing documents likely to be useful to a terrorist.

The pair had called themselves the Blackburn Resistance, and filmed propaganda in the style of al-Qaeda. But the judge at Manchester Crown Court said he 'doubted they would have amounted to much'. He even told Abbas that vanity may have been his 'biggest weakness' in that he 'looked like he was getting ready for an attack'.