LONDON — In the wake of a secretive anti-terrorism operation in Birmingham, British authorities provided a first look Friday at accusations against six men charged in connection with an alleged Iraq-style plot to kidnap and kill a British Muslim soldier.
Prosecutors charged Parviz Khan, 36, with several terrorism offenses related "to his intention to kidnap and kill a member of the British armed forces." Five other men were charged with offenses including providing equipment and finances for an act of terrorism and failing to report knowledge of the plot, said Susan Hemming, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's counter-terrorism division.
Five of the men appeared in a London court Friday after being charged late Thursday, and were jailed pending a hearing Feb. 23. A sixth was charged Friday and will appear in court today.
"Nine days ago I told you that we were in the foothills of a major investigation," said Assistant Chief Constable David Shaw of the West Midlands Police. "We have made extraordinary progress in that time
The statements marked the first time authorities have confirmed that the alleged plot involved kidnapping and killing a British Muslim soldier. The suspects allegedly began plotting Nov. 1 to target a soldier and videotape his slaying, possibly beheading him, then post images of the victim's begging and agony on the Internet in the style of terrorist networks in Iraq, security officials say.
Police identified at least one potential victim, a soldier recently returned from service overseas, and took steps to protect him, officials have said.
"It is vital that we do not fail to acknowledge the stark realization of what was being planned in our midst," Shaw told a news conference.
The grisly scenario outlined by investigators worsens fears that extremist networks are developing new strategies for high-impact but relatively simple attacks centered on kidnapping or hostage taking rather than bombings.
In recent months, British SWAT teams have conducted two exercises to prepare for possible hostage situations, including one that simulated a group of terrorists barricaded with captive children, reminiscent of the deadly school siege in Beslan, Russia, in 2004, a security official said.
"Those drills were based on intelligence that points at hostage-taking scenarios," the security official said. "Perhaps it's partly because bomb-making materials are harder for the networks to come by without authorities noticing. Hostages have been a concern for some time."
