Scottish GP remanded in custody over New IRA links
● Claims he was ‘entrapped’ by MI5 ● Latest arrest in major police probe
A Scottish GP is among the latest people to be remanded into custody in Northern Ireland as part of a major police investigation into the New IRA.
Issam Basalat, 62, from Telf o r d Roa d i n E d i n b u rg h , i s a c c u s e d o f p r e p a r a t i o n o f t e r r o r i s t a c t s i n r e l a t i o n t o his attendance at an alleged meeting of the New IRA at an address at Buninver Road in Omagh, Co Tyrone, on 19 July.
David Jordan, 49, from Cappagh Road in Dungannon, Co Tyrone, also appeared at Belfast Magistrates’ Cour t yes - terday.
A defence lawyer for Basalat set out that his client is a GP based in Scotland who previously chaired the Palestinian S ociet y in S cotland and has addressed the Scottish Parliament.
“He has addressed a number o f p o l i t i c a l g r o u p s o n a number of political issues in an entirely peaceful and democratic way, nor has he come to the attention of the police for any of those activities,” he told the court.
He said his client had been “p e s t e r e d ” t o a t t e n d a n d address a public meeting that he believed had an “exclusivel y p o l i t i c a l p u r p o s e”, whi l e he was in Nor thern Ireland to obtain a passp or t for his daughter in Belfast, and went on to claim that his client had been “entrapped” by an MI5 agent.
Jordan is accused of belonging to a proscribed organisation between 8 February and
20 July, directing a terrorist o rg a n i s a t i o n , a n d p r e p a r a - tion of terrorist acts through attending the same meeting at Buninver Road in Omagh, as well as attending a meeting in Sixmilecross on 9 February.
Both men appeared in court remotely by video -link from Musgrave police station.
They were arrested as part of Operation Arbacia.
A P S N I d e t e c t i v e c h i e f i n s p e c to r to l d t h e c o u r t h e
believed he could connect the t wo accused to the charges they face, and agreed he was aware of audio and video evidence in the case. There was no application for bail.
T h e P S N I d e t e c t i ve c h i e f i n s p e c t o r s a i d p o l i c e h a d “extensively looked at all the processes around the acquisition and indeed the timings in relation to the recordings ... we are more than content that the rules of evidence have been
complied with and that there are no inaccuracies in relation to the material obtained and indeed that put during interview”.
Jordan’s defence lawyer also contended his client had been lured to attend the meetings and brought “under false pretences”.
A bail hearing for Basalat is to be heard on 9 September.