The U.K. Plot Suspects
What ABC News has learned since the first arrests Saturday.
LONDON, England, July 3, 2007 — -- A total of eight suspects were arrested in connection with the London terror threats. All have at some point worked in Britain's public health service.
Dr. Bilal Abdulla, a 27-year-old Iraqi, was arrested at Glasgow airport Saturday. A graduate of Baghdad Medical College two years ago, Abdulla worked at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.
Dr. Mohammed Asha, a 26-year-old Jordanian, was also arrested Saturday on the M6 highway near Sandbach in northwest England. Asha studied medicine in Jordan, graduating in 2004. He gained a limited registration that allowed him to work in the U.K. under supervision. Asha moved to England in 2005 with his wife to specialize in neurology and took up employment at the North Staffordshire Hospital. A resident of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Asha is now in custody at Paddington Green police station in London. Police have a warrant to hold him until Saturday, July 7.
His wife, Marwah Dana Asha, who is believed to have worked as a lab technician at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital was arrested with him Saturday evening. She is now in custody at a central London Police Station believed to be Paddington Green.
Khalid Ahmed is a 27-year-old male who reportedly drove the Jeep into Glasgow airport; he was detained on the scene and is in critical condition as a result of the burns he sustained. Police cannot confirm whether he is a doctor or a medical student; however, he remains under armed guard at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
Shabeel Ahmed is a 26-year-old male who was arrested by the Metropolitan Police under the Counter Terrorism Act as he drove through central Liverpool Saturday evening. He worked as a locum (temporary position) at Warrington and Halton hospitals (both part of the North Cheshire NHS trust). Police cordoned off the scene as a safety precaution while forensic investigators removed the car for further investigation. He is being held at Paddington Green police station in London and will be held at least until Saturday, July 7.
Two unidentified males, aged 28 and 25 and both allegedly Saudi nationals, were arrested early Monday, July 2. There are unconfirmed reports that they are medical students or doctors employed at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley. Police said they obtained a warrant to continue detaining the man for another five days, and they are being held at Paddington Green police station in London.
The final arrest was Monday night. Dr. Mohammed Haneef, a 27-year-old Indian national, was arrested as he boarded a plane at Brisbane International Airport in Australia bound for India. Haneef had worked previously at Halton Hospital in northwest England where Sabeel Ahmed has also worked. Haneef had been working as a junior doctor at the Gold Coast Hospital in eastern Queensland State since September 2006. He had previously worked at the Halton Hospital in Cheshire.
According to local media report, Haneef had a one-way ticket for India via Kuala Lumpur and was arrested because he received a phone call from one of the suspects in the U.K. He has not officially been charged.
A second doctor, who also worked at the Gold Coast Hospital, was being interviewed by police in Australia. Both doctors were recruited from Liverpool.