Man in court on blog murder incitement charge

A 23-year-old man appeared in court today charged with soliciting murder in relation to a blog listing MPs who voted for the Iraq war.

Bilal Zaheer Ahmad, of Dunstall Hill, Wolverhampton, appeared at the Old Bailey via videolink.

He remains in custody and is due to go on trial on June 7, at a venue to be decided. A plea and case management hearing will take place on April 15.

It is alleged that he solicited, encouraged, persuaded or endeavoured to persuade persons unknown to murder members of the British Parliament.

He also faces three charges of collecting information of a kind likely to be useful for terrorism.