Is Nessie a Terrorist?

By Pamela Mortimer

Kader Ahmed, a Somali-born electrician has been accused of being a Muslim holy warrior. Ahmed is currently on trial for potential involvement in a jihad training camp in Scotland. Ahmed, 20, denies doing anything illegal. When asked why he was in Scotland three Christmases ago, Ahmed revealed that he was on a trip arranged by preacher Mohammed Hamid.

Regarding the trip to Inverness and Loch Ness Ahmed said: "I'd never been to Scotland before. It was very cold when we went up. It was snowing. It was very beautiful as well. I had never seen reindeer before."

On the trip, Ahmed and his traveling companions stopped near Loch Ness for a few days, and because it was cold, the group slept in their minibus. They also searched for the elusive Nessie. He denies three counts of attending a place used for terrorist training purposes.

Ahmed, who resides in east London, admits going on other camping trips and joining in on paintball sessions with Hamid's group, four of which were later convicted of the plot to bomb London on July 21, 2005. But the trainee electrician, who was 17 when he met Hamid, told Woolwich Crown Court he assumed it was harmless fun "like Scouts or Cadets".

Ahmed said he turned to religion in the summer of 2004 when he attended Speaker's Corner in Hyde Park. That’s where he met Hamid, a.k.a. Osama bin London. His first trip centered around camping to Baysbrown Farm in Great Langdale, Cumbria. It was the first time he had been outside London since he was a small child.

He said: "I imagined it as seeing the countryside and doing activities. I was excited about it." Hugh Mullan, Ahmed’s barrister, asked him: "Was the atmosphere solemn and militaristic?"

Ahmed replied: "No, it wasn't. There was lots of joking. It was very beautiful. It was something new. It was fairly busy - a lot of tourists. They were kind of shocked at the big beards but we spoke to them just to break the ice."

He said: "When I first went (to Hamid's house), it was all open. There were a lot of people my age saying, 'We're gonna do this, we're gonna do that.' It was friendly and warm. It was just relaxed, just people talking."

Ahmed claimed Hamid, who is alleged to have been the recruiter and trainer of a terrorist cell, told him the group was not breaking the law.
Also standing trial are Hamid, 50, Kibley Da Costa, 24, Mohammed Al Figari, 42, and Mousa Brown, 41, who all deny terrorist-linked charges.
The trial continues.