Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan (Urdu: محمد نعيم نور خان, born 1979)[1] was an alleged Al-Qaeda operative and computer expert. Arrested in Pakistan on 13 July 2004, files found on his laptop contained details of a terrorist plot to attack U.S. financial buildings and locations in the UK, including Heathrow Airport.
Khan's arrest was attributed to leads arising from the arrest of Musaad Aruchi a month earlier.[2] Following his arrest, Khan agreed to cooperate with investigators, and continued to communicate with Al-Qaeda as part of a sting operation.
Following the publication of Khan's name, British authorities moved quickly to arrest 13 members of the British terrorist cell with which Khan had been communicating (the so-called Luton cell). Evidence gathering may not have yet been completed and other plotters may have escaped due to the need to make the arrests quickly.
On 14 July 2005, ABC News revealed that Mohammad Sidique Khan, one of the suspected perpetrators of the 7 July London bombings, had been in contact with members of the Luton cell that was broken up.
Khan is an alumnus of NED University and Adamjee Science College in Karachi.
Human Rights Watch lists Khan as one of detainees in CIA custody,[3] though he was released on 20 August 2007, without charge.[4]
- ^ "CT Studies | Counterterrorism News for August 19-25, 2007". Archived from the original on 7 August 2008. Retrieved 17 August 2008.
- ^ Suspect arrested in Pakistan may hold al-Qaeda's secrets, The Guardian, 8 August 2004
- ^ List of “Ghost Prisoners” Possibly in CIA Custody, Human Rights Watch, 1 December 2005
- ^ http://uk.news.yahoo.com/26092006/323/key-9-11-planner-linked-london-bombings-musharraf.html[permanent dead link]