UK case against Swede accused of terrorism collapses
Jun 1, 2015, 6:54 AM
LONDON (AP) — A British case against a Swedish man accused of terrorism offenses collapsed Monday after lawyers were unable to get sensitive information from security services.
Bherlin Gildo, 37, was due to stand trial in a London court accused of attending a training camp in Syria and receiving weapons training in 2012 and 2013.
He was arrested in transit at London’s Heathrow Airport in October, when he was on his way from Copenhagen to the Philippines.
Prosecutor Riel Karmy-Jones said Monday there was no longer a “reasonable” chance of getting a conviction after a review of the evidence. She had said in an earlier hearing that “third parties” held information sought by defense lawyers.
Defense lawyer Henry Blaxland said British security services held the needed information.
Gildo’s lawyer, Gareth Peirce, said after Monday’s hearing that the Swede hadn’t committed any offense in his home country and had gone to Syria to “help defend the Syrian people” in 2012. He had never planned to enter Britain, she said.
Peirce also argued that it was “utter hypocrisy to prosecute someone who has been involved in the armed resistance” when there was reason to believe that the British government was itself involved in arming the resistance.
All charges against Gildo were dropped Monday.
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