Salma Kabal denies charge
THE trial of a Birmingham woman charged with failing to tell police what she knew about her estranged husband’s involvement in a terrorist plot has begun.
Woolwich Crown Court was told that 23-year-old Salma Kabal from Alum Rock was aware that her former partner, Ashik Ali, was planning to commit a terrorist act but did not alert the authorities.
Ali was one of three men recently convicted of a plot to carry out a UK bombing campaign that could have resulted in more casualties than the 7/7 London attacks of 2005.
Kabal, who had been married to Ali for two years prior to their separation in 2011, is not accused of being involved in the plot but is charged with having information she should have disclosed to the police.
The jury were given details of a conversation the couple had at Ali’s Balsall Heath flat in September 2011, two days before they were both arrested by officers from the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit. In total 12 suspects were detained and charged as part of the police operation.
In the covertly recorded exchange between the two, Ali was heard trying to convince Kabal that he would not go back to her because of his plans for the future.
The prosecution alleged that Ali lied to Kabal about his true intentions, saying he intended to commit an act of terrorism abroad when in reality he was actively involved in a plan to carry out a bombing campaign in the UK.
Stuart Baker, prosecuting, told the jury: “Even if the information she had about where the act of terrorism was actually going to take place was not correct, she should have told police.”
Detectives had the listening device in Ali’s flat as part of an investigation into the plans being developed by him, Irfan Naseer and Irfan Khalid. All three were convicted in February of plotting a bombing campaign and other offences stealing money given to charity.
The police ‘bug’ recorded Ali telling Kabal that she would only understand the full implications or what he was doing “when your house gets raided and you get taken in because of me.”
Kabal denies the charge. The hearing continues.
