Mohammed Asha
Mohammed Jamil Abdelqader Ashar (
Early life and medical career
A Jordanian who was born in Saudi Arabia to a family originating from Palestine, Asha moved to Jordan with his family in 1991. He attended Jubilee School in Amman, a school for gifted children, where he is remembered as a dedicated student who was bookish and introverted. He won prizes for his Arabic poetry and met Queen Noor, King Hussein of Jordan's 4th wife, when she visited his school.[3] In 1998, Asha received a 98.3% overall mark in his school's leaving exams and he later gained the 3rd highest mark Jordan's national medical entrance exam.
Asha entered the University of Jordan's medical school and graduated with a medical degree in 2004.[1][4] During his medical studies he used his talent for poetry to woo his future wife, Marwah Dana, a laboratory researcher. He married Marwah in 2004. In the same year, Asha competed against 500 medical students and won a place at University of Birmingham, studying neurology.[1]
Asha moved to the UK in 2005 with his wife, and undertook post-graduate training at the Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli, Wales and the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Shropshire. Asha then moved to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, where he met
Glasgow Airport attack
Arrest
On 1 July 2007, the day after the
Trial and acquittal
At his trial, the jury was told that Asha lent his friend,
On 16 December 2008 Asha was found not guilty of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions, the jury accepted that he was clearly innocent and knew nothing of the plot that his colleagues, Bilal Abdulla and Kafeel Ahmed, had planned.[2][6] The judge at his trial criticised the counter-terrorism police for twice interviewing Asha without a solicitor and in his summing up he told the jury, "What this trial may have revealed to you, on this occasion, [is that] Mohammed Asha's rights were not fully respected."[2] Footage played to the jury showed police officers swearing at and ridiculing Asha, and the prosecution also admitted that interviewing officers told Asha that they found new evidence regarding him which they knew to be untrue.[2]
Following his acquittal, Asha was transferred from
Aftermath
Asha returned to the NHS, which was covered by The Sun, leading to a libel case, resulting in an apology by the newspaper.[8]
See also
- 2007 UK terrorist incidents
- Lotfi Raissi
References
- ^ a b c d e Bird, Steve (16 December 2008), "Profile: Jordanian neurologist, Mohammed Asha, cleared over Glasgow terror attack", The Times, London, retrieved 16 December 2008
- ^ a b c d Britton, Jeremy (16 December 2008), "Cleared terror suspect 'bullied'", BBC News, retrieved 16 December 2008
- ^ a b c Kirsty, Smallman (16 December 2008), "Doctor tipped for the top", Shropshire Star, retrieved 17 December 2008[permanent dead link]
- ^ Friends of Jordanian doctor detained in Britain insist he has no ties to terrorism
- ^ List of Registered Medical Practitioners[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b Davenport, Justin; Cheston, Paul (16 December 2008), NHS doctor tried to bomb London club, retrieved 16 December 2008
- ^ Cleared car bomb doctor allowed to remain in Britain The Telegraph, 7 August 2009.
- ^ "Statement In Open Court" (PDF). Claim No. Hq09d05474 Between Mohammed Jamil Abdelqader Asha (Claimant) -And News Group Newspapers Limited (Defendant). The High Court Of Justice, Queen's Bench Division – via Carter-Ruck.
External links
- "Car bombing suspect 'on the run'," BBC website.
- "Two more arrests in hunt for terror cell," Times Online.
- "A Surgeon's Trajectory Takes an Unlikely Swerve" New York Times.
- "Fourth suspect charged over British car bombings" Brisbane Times.