'Terror abroad' retrial ruled out

REPORTRED BY JUMA BALOCH


A man accused of orchestrating terror attacks in Pakistan from his home inLondon will not face a retrial. Hyrbyair Marri, 40, was accused of being a keysupporter of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).A jury at Woolwich Crown Court last month cleared him of three terror chargesbut failed to reach verdicts on two further counts. Prosecutors said it was notin the public interest to pursue allegations against the ex-Balochistanpolitician.Insurgents have been fighting for independence for the province. But defencelawyers maintained Mr Marri and a co-defendant had been acting in self-defence.Jury's verdictsRefugee Mr Marri, of Ealing, west London, was cleared of possessing terroristarticles, collecting terrorist information and preparing terrorist acts.Jurors failed to return verdicts on counts of inciting acts of terrorismoverseas - including murder - and collecting terrorist information.The jury cleared Mr Marri's friend Faiz Baluch, 27, of Wembley, north-westLondon, of all five charges.The men were alleged to have used websites and telephone links to call on othersto kill in the name of the banned organisation.A Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) spokeswoman said: "The CPS has decided not toseek a retrial of Hyrbyair Marri on two charges relating to the inciting ofothers to commit terrorist acts abroad in pursuit of self-government forBalochistan."The CPS counter-terrorism division has carefully considered the evidenceagainst Hyrbyair Marri in light of the jury's verdicts and decided that the caseno longer meets the tests set out in the code for Crown prosecutors."Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7935991.stm