Pakistan drops terrorism charges against Rauf

13 December 2006, 18:00 PM

By Afp, Islamabad

A Pakistani court dropped terrorism charges yesterday against a British man suspected of being a key figure in an alleged plot to blow up transatlantic airliners, his lawyer said.

Rashid Rauf, 25, was arrested in central Pakistan in early August. Pakistani officials said that his detention led to the uncovering of the conspiracy and that he was linked to Al-Qaeda.

His lawyer Hashmat Habib said a judge at an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi near Islamabad had agreed to his petition that two charges relating to terrorism were "not relevant and this court cannot try him".