Police in court accused of attack on terror suspect

Four police officers will appear in court today accused of attacking a terrorist suspect nearly seven years ago.

The officers will be charged with assaulting Babar Ahmad as they arrested him during a raid at his home in Tooting, south London.

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesman said the men were summonsed last month to appear at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court in London today.

The four, who were all members of the Metropolitan Police's territorial support group (TSG) at the time, are accused of assault causing actual bodily harm.

They are Pcs Nigel Cowley, 32, Roderick James-Bowen, 39, and Mark Jones, 43, and Det Con John Donohue, 36, who has since transferred to the Met's Special Operations unit.

When the CPS decision was announced on August 12, a Scotland Yard spokesman said all four were put on restricted duties, which meant the officers would not be dealing with the public but would be desk-bound in an office.

Ahmad, 36, who remains in custody awaiting a decision on whether he can be extradited to the United States, suffered injuries including heavy bruising to his head, neck, wrists and feet when he was arrested in December 2003.

The computer expert was held on suspicion of supporting and helping to recruit terrorists to fight in Afghanistan and Chechnya through email accounts and websites.

Ahmad was never charged in Britain, but was held in Long Lartin prison since 2004 after the United States issued an extradition warrant.

In July, the European Court of Human Rights halted the move as it considers whether it will breach his rights by exposing him to life imprisonment without parole.