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Two British terror suspects killed in US drone strikes in Pakistan
Pair, both Muslims from east London, believed to have been killed in separate incidents in the South Waziristan region
Ibrahim Adam, who is believed to have been killed in a US drone attack in Pakistan. Photograph: Metropolitan Police/PA
Two young British men have been killed in US drone strikes against suspected militants in Pakistan's tribal belt, according to reports from the country. The pair, both Muslims from London, are reported to have been killed in separate drone strikes two weeks apart in South Waziristan.
One of the men has been named as Ibrahim Adam, 24, who fled from the UK with his brother four years ago, while both were the subject of control orders. The second is said to be Mohammed Azmer Khan, 38, the brother of another British Muslim, Abdul Jabbar, who was killed in a drone attack last year.
The Foreign Office was unable to confirm the deaths on Friday but said: "We are aware of reports and looking into them further."
Adam's father said: "We can confirm that we have heard that our son has been killed in a drone strike."
He said the family regarded him as having been "executed" without having committed any crime. "We now wish to be left alone and grieve for our son."
Reports from the region suggest the number of suspected militants being killed by missiles fired by unmanned US aircraft may be escalating sharply.
One strike on Wednesday, in which missiles are said to have been launched against a suspected militant base near the Afghan border, is reported to have killed up to 18 men. Another on Thursday is said to have killed between four and seven men.
The two Britons were from Ilford in east London. Although news of their deaths has just emerged, both are said to have been killed weeks ago. Adam is said to have been killed six weeks ago while riding a motorcycle, and the second man is said to have been killed two weeks later.
Adam and his older brother, Lamine, were described as dangerous by then home secretary John Reid when they absconded in May 2007, along with a third man who later surrendered and whose control order was subsequently quashed.
The pair are thought to have fled the UK on a flight to Pakistan by using passports belonging to associates from the south of England. Adam is understood to have left behind a wife and two children in east London. Shortly before they fled, a third brother, who changed his name to Anthony Garcia while pursuing a career as a male model, was jailed for life after being found guilty at the Old Bailey of conspiring to cause explosions.
Although the Adam brothers were assessed as not posing a direct threat to the UK when they went on the run, MI5 is thought to have since suspected that Ibrahim Adam may have been involved in a Mumbai-style plot to mount a gun attack on targets in the UK.
The second British man whose death is being reported was in his 30s and was also the subject of a control order before travelling to Pakistan.
Previously, MPs have expressed concern at a drone attack that claimed a British life. In November 2008 when Rashid Rauf, a terrorism suspect from Birmingham, was reported to have been killed in South Waziristan, MPs demanded to know what the British government had known in advance of the strike.
Patrick Mercer, Conservative MP for Newark, said the attack had "ultimately led to the execution of a British subject" and called for a statement from the government.
US intelligence officials insist the number of civilians killed in drone attacks is low, while local and international media reports have put the number at several hundred.
Earlier this year, human rights activists in Pakistan said they were planning to bring legal proceedings against CIA lawyers, who have given legal advice approving such strikes, and the UK government, which they accuse of providing targeting intelligence
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011...drone-pakistan
Pair, both Muslims from east London, believed to have been killed in separate incidents in the South Waziristan region
Ibrahim Adam, who is believed to have been killed in a US drone attack in Pakistan. Photograph: Metropolitan Police/PATwo young British men have been killed in US drone strikes against suspected militants in Pakistan's tribal belt, according to reports from the country. The pair, both Muslims from London, are reported to have been killed in separate drone strikes two weeks apart in South Waziristan.
One of the men has been named as Ibrahim Adam, 24, who fled from the UK with his brother four years ago, while both were the subject of control orders. The second is said to be Mohammed Azmer Khan, 38, the brother of another British Muslim, Abdul Jabbar, who was killed in a drone attack last year.
The Foreign Office was unable to confirm the deaths on Friday but said: "We are aware of reports and looking into them further."
Adam's father said: "We can confirm that we have heard that our son has been killed in a drone strike."
He said the family regarded him as having been "executed" without having committed any crime. "We now wish to be left alone and grieve for our son."
Reports from the region suggest the number of suspected militants being killed by missiles fired by unmanned US aircraft may be escalating sharply.
One strike on Wednesday, in which missiles are said to have been launched against a suspected militant base near the Afghan border, is reported to have killed up to 18 men. Another on Thursday is said to have killed between four and seven men.
The two Britons were from Ilford in east London. Although news of their deaths has just emerged, both are said to have been killed weeks ago. Adam is said to have been killed six weeks ago while riding a motorcycle, and the second man is said to have been killed two weeks later.
Adam and his older brother, Lamine, were described as dangerous by then home secretary John Reid when they absconded in May 2007, along with a third man who later surrendered and whose control order was subsequently quashed.
The pair are thought to have fled the UK on a flight to Pakistan by using passports belonging to associates from the south of England. Adam is understood to have left behind a wife and two children in east London. Shortly before they fled, a third brother, who changed his name to Anthony Garcia while pursuing a career as a male model, was jailed for life after being found guilty at the Old Bailey of conspiring to cause explosions.
Although the Adam brothers were assessed as not posing a direct threat to the UK when they went on the run, MI5 is thought to have since suspected that Ibrahim Adam may have been involved in a Mumbai-style plot to mount a gun attack on targets in the UK.
The second British man whose death is being reported was in his 30s and was also the subject of a control order before travelling to Pakistan.
Previously, MPs have expressed concern at a drone attack that claimed a British life. In November 2008 when Rashid Rauf, a terrorism suspect from Birmingham, was reported to have been killed in South Waziristan, MPs demanded to know what the British government had known in advance of the strike.
Patrick Mercer, Conservative MP for Newark, said the attack had "ultimately led to the execution of a British subject" and called for a statement from the government.
US intelligence officials insist the number of civilians killed in drone attacks is low, while local and international media reports have put the number at several hundred.
Earlier this year, human rights activists in Pakistan said they were planning to bring legal proceedings against CIA lawyers, who have given legal advice approving such strikes, and the UK government, which they accuse of providing targeting intelligence
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011...drone-pakistan
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