Chunnel man's secret shopping list for terror

By Times Online and PA News



A British Muslim was today convicted of possessing a secret code in which the names of different Nokia mobile phones denoted a 'shopping list for terrorism'.



'Money' was Nokia 3310, 'trouble-police' was the 3410 model, 'weapon' 3610, 'airport' 3310, and 'army base' 3331.

Andrew Rowe, 34, a convert to Islam, was also convicted of possessing a notebook containing details on how to fire mortar bombs in the first terrorist trial in Britain since the July 7 bombings.

Both items were said to be used for the preparation of terrorism, although no specific target has ever been identified.

A jury of six men and six women at the Old Bailey could not agree on a third charge of having a pair of socks, adapted with a cord, for terrorist purposes The socks with traces of military explosives on them were allegedly found as Rowe attempted to board the Eurostar en route for London.

The prosecution had alleged that they could have been used as a mortar bung or to clean a mortar tube.

But Rowe told the jury he had used it for a target for martial arts kicks and that traces of explosives found on the ball were from his trip to Bosnia in 1995.

The alleged find in August 2003 prompted searches of addresses in west London and Birmingham at which the 22-page notebook containing hand-written instructions for firing a mortar and the code list were found.

The court is due to resume at 2pm when there will be a ruling about whether there will be a retrial on that charge.

Rowe testified that the notebook was a memento from Bosnia and the code would have been used to target courier drops for aid and arms to help Chechen separatists.

Mark Ellison, prosecuting, said the code "made it possible to communicate in an innocent message which only spoke about mobile telephones".

There were also codes for explosive materials which made it a "shopping list for terrorism", said Mr Ellison.

A draft of a letter on the other side said Rowe was travelling abroad on "mobile phone business" and said he would soon be meeting a man who needed his help.

Rowe had travelled extensively after converting to Islam. He had been to places of conflict and had had four passports in seven years, said Mr Ellison.

The trial was adjourned to this afternoon for the prosecution to decide if there should be a retrial.

Rowe, of Maida Vale, north-west London, had denied the charges which followed his arrest in October 2003.

Ken Macdonald, the director of public prosecutions, hailed the convictions as a first success for his office's Counter-Terrorism Division, set up in May.

"The challenge we successfully met was to prove to the jury that although there was no direct link between Andrew Rowe and a particular terrorist act, possession of those items together with other supporting evidence was sufficient for a jury to conclude that he had them for the purpose of terrorism," he said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...794306,00.html

Another one bites the dust!! :D