Plot to kill exiled Pak activist emerges in UK trial

New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS) The trial of 31-year-old Gohir Khan, a British Pakistani based in the UK, began at the Kingston-upon-Thames crown court, with the prosecution revealing details of an alleged plot to murder exiled blogger and activist Ahmad Waqass Goraya who is based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Dawn reported.

The prosecution maintained that Khan was hired by persons who appeared to be based in Pakistan to carry out the “intended killing” of Goraya.

The financial rewards for his actions were believed to be significant, with a payment of 100,000 pounds on offer. At the time, the prosecution claimed, the defendant was in significant debt, with no clear means of paying his creditors, the Dawn news report said.

Khan was “enthusiastic” about “carrying out the killing to earn the money and to carry out further attacks” in the future, the prosecution told the jury.

It described how the defendant travelled to Rotterdam and sought to locate the victim, purchasing a knife which he intended to use to kill Goraya.

Unknown to him, Goraya was not at his home address in Rotterdam at the time.

After a few days of unsuccessful attempts to locate the alleged victim, Khan gave up and travelled back to the UK. He was arrested on his return, the report added.

Khan was reportedly sent a picture of the blogger as well as his address by a middleman, identified by the prosecution as ‘Mudz’, ‘Zed’, and ‘Papa’.

The prosecution said evidence included messages sent and received by the defendant on mobile telephone devices, evidence of travel and attempted travel to and from Rotterdam, CCTV footage of his movements whilst in Rotterdam and evidence of his purchases whilst in the city.

–IANS

san/ksk/