Man who fought USSR

As a boy growing up in Dundee, James McLintock was raised a Catholic.

However, it was while studying at Edinburgh University in the early 1980s that he embarked on the path that would see him fighting against communist Russians in Afghanistan.

In 2001 he was arrested on Christmas Eve at a checkpoint near Afghanistan’s border and held until he had been interrogated by intelligence services.

Wikileaks documents released three years ago suggested McLintock had links with al Qaida leader Ali Muhammad Abdul Aziz al-Fahkri.

Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) has an aim to reduce harm and rebuild lives affected by armed violence.

It does this by carrying out research and advocacy work to reduce the incidence and impact of global armed violence.

One of the main pillars of AOAV work is to monitor the impact of explosive weapons around the world and investigate what causes armed violence – from guns to suicide bombings.

Its global reporting on explosive violence is considered by many as the “main” data for such and is regularly quoted in both the media and at the highest levels of the United Nations.

McLintock, whose mother still lives in Arbroath, was last year put on the Treasury’s “specially designated global terrorist” list, which freezes any property he has within US jurisdiction and bans Americans from doing business with him.

He has previously “categorically denied” allegations made by the US Treasury that his Pakistani orphanage is providing money for extremist groups.

McLintock has not responded to attempts to reach him since he spoke to The Courier from Pakistan last year.