A terrorist contact list

Independent:

A British man who is accused of attempting to orchestrate acts of terrorism had contacts books containing key phone numbers and email addresses for members of al-Qa'ida, many written in invisible ink, a court was told yesterday.

Details of the secret books were revealed as Rangzieb Ahmed, 33,appeared before Manchester Crown Court accused of being an "important member" of the terrorist organisation.

Andrew Edis QC, for the prosecution, told the jury Mr Ahmed had three books featuring information of "considerable importance" after going to terrorist training camps in Pakistan.

"They contain information in invisible ink. Who would write phone numbers on a book in invisible ink? The prosecution say that these books contain information of considerable importance to a terrorist because it is information that enables terrorists to communicate by email secretly," said the barrister, adding: "Something else of some importance is the phone numbers for terrorists. This is a contact book for a terrorist."

While conceding that he is a member of Harakat-ul-Mujahideen, a proscribed terror group, Mr Ahmed has denied being an associate ofal-Qa'ida along with his co-defendants, husband and wife Habib Ahmed, 38, and Mehreen Haji, 27. He also denies directing terrorism between April 2004 and August 2006. Born in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, Mr Ahmed moved to Pakistan as a child but revisited the UK in 2005 and 2006, the court heard.

"The prosecution say that during that time Rangzieb Ahmed – who was a member of al-Qa'ida and an important member of al-Qa'ida – was in a position to direct some of its activities, was engaged in an operation which included him travelling to Dubai and intending to travel onwards to South Africa, but being diverted because something went wrong to the UK," said Mr Edis.

Habib Ahmed, a taxi driver and another alleged member of al-Qa'ida, followed him to Dubai and the pair were recorded during covert surveillance talking in a hotel room during December 2005 before returning to the United Kingdom separately towards the end of the month.

Habib Ahmed returned with the collection of three contacts books, which were spotted in his baggage during a search by Dutch investigators at Schiphol airport. They were later recovered during a search of his home in the UK in August 2006.

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I hope we are monitoring calls from the numbers in his book. Anyone they call should have no expectation of privacy about their communications with those on the list. The case also points out how central the UK is to the terror network.