Bilal Abdullah
Encyclopedia
Bilal Talal Samad Abdullah (born 17 September 1980) was one of two terrorists behind the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack
, and is currently serving a life sentence with a minimum of 32 years.
, Bilal Abdullah was born on 17 September 1980 in Aylesbury
, Buckinghamshire
, where his father, also a doctor, worked.
He qualified in Baghdad
in 2004 and first registered as a doctor in the UK in 2006. He was given limited registration by the General Medical Council (GMC) from 5 August 2006 to 11 August 2007. He worked at the Royal Alexandra Hospital
, Ward 10, in Paisley
as a locum
house-officer in the diabetes department, dealing with outpatients at a drop-in clinic and obstetric clinics.
He had links to the Sunni Wahabist
sect and radical islamic groups, and had been disciplined for spending too much time on the internet at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. He is also said to have come to the notice of the security service, after visiting Islamist websites.
plot, and investigations are being carried out to unearth a possible involvement with the deadly 2005 Indian Institute of Science shooting
, an attack with unknown suspects who are still at large.
A silver Vauxhall Astra, which was subject to a controlled explosion by police on 3 July 2007, was believed to have been rented by Dr. Abdullah.
that was rammed into the terminal and set ablaze, engineer Kafeel Ahmed
, who died from third degree burns on 2 August 2007, are also believed by police to have been responsible for leaving car bombs in London two days earlier. Dr. Abdullah was the owner of the Jeep and has been charged with conspiracy to cause explosions. He was remanded in custody awaiting trial
, and was ultimately given two concurrent life sentences, of which he would be required to serve at least 32 years in prison.
While Ahmed was aflame in the car, Abdullah reportedly attacked Sergeant Torquil Campbell at the scene, in an attempt to prevent him from approaching the burning vehicle, and running back to try to open the back hatch. During the scuffle, police officer Stewart Ferguson was spraying the burning man with a fire extinguisher. Popping and banging could be heard coming from the vehicle. A suicide note left behind indicates that the duo intended to die in the attack.
, and that he had been radicalized by the teachings of al Qaeda and al-Zarqawi. The radical organization Hizb ut-Tahrir
denies reports from the Telegraph that Abdullah was a member.
During his own testimony during trial, Bilal said his motivation was the destruction of Iraq, first through sanctions that included even medicine, the rise of childhood leukaemia which he blamed on depleted uranium
armour-piercing shells used in the 1991 Gulf War
, and for destruction of infrastructure during the U.S. and British 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Abdullah had been given limited registration by the General Medical Council
(GMC) from 5 August 2006 to 11 August 2007. The GMC's interim orders panel made a determination, subsequent to the Glasgow International Airport attacks, that Abdullah's registration should be suspended for 18 months, as an interim measure. Since Abdullah's registration was already to expire on 11 August 2007, his registration was suspended only until then.
of conspiracy to murder, and sentenced to life imprisonment with a requirement that he spend at least 32 years in jail.
2007 Glasgow International Airport attack
The 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack was a terrorist attack which occurred on Saturday 30 June 2007, at 15:11 BST, when a dark green Jeep Cherokee loaded with propane canisters was driven into the glass doors of the Glasgow International Airport terminal and set ablaze...
, and is currently serving a life sentence with a minimum of 32 years.
History
A resident of Neuk Crescent, Houston, outside GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, Bilal Abdullah was born on 17 September 1980 in Aylesbury
Aylesbury
Aylesbury is the county town of Buckinghamshire in South East England. However the town also falls into a geographical region known as the South Midlands an area that ecompasses the north of the South East, and the southern extremities of the East Midlands...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, where his father, also a doctor, worked.
He qualified in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
in 2004 and first registered as a doctor in the UK in 2006. He was given limited registration by the General Medical Council (GMC) from 5 August 2006 to 11 August 2007. He worked at the Royal Alexandra Hospital
Royal Alexandra Hospital
Royal Alexandra Hospital can refer to:*Royal Alexandra Hospital *Royal Alexandra Hospital *Royal Alexandra Hospital, Brighton*Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, Sydney, Australia*Royal Alexandra Hospital...
, Ward 10, in Paisley
Paisley
Paisley is the largest town in the historic county of Renfrewshire in the west central Lowlands of Scotland and serves as the administrative centre for the Renfrewshire council area...
as a locum
Locum
Locum, short for the Latin phrase locum tenens , is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another. For example, a locum doctor is a doctor who works in the place of the regular doctor when that doctor is absent, or when a hospital/practice is short-staffed...
house-officer in the diabetes department, dealing with outpatients at a drop-in clinic and obstetric clinics.
He had links to the Sunni Wahabist
Wahhabism
Wahhabism is a religious movement or a branch of Islam. It was developed by an 18th century Muslim theologian from Najd, Saudi Arabia. Ibn Abdul Al-Wahhab advocated purging Islam of what he considered to be impurities and innovations...
sect and radical islamic groups, and had been disciplined for spending too much time on the internet at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. He is also said to have come to the notice of the security service, after visiting Islamist websites.
2007 London car bombs
There are indications that Kafeel Ahmed and Bilal Abdullah were behind the 2007 London car bombs2007 London car bombs
On 29 June 2007, in London, two car bombs were discovered and disabled before they could be detonated. The first device was left near the Tiger Tiger nightclub in Haymarket at around 01:30, and the second was in Cockspur Street, in the same area of the city....
plot, and investigations are being carried out to unearth a possible involvement with the deadly 2005 Indian Institute of Science shooting
2005 Indian Institute of Science shooting
The December 2005 IISc shooting occurred on Wednesday, 28 December 2005 at the Indian Institute of Science in the Indian city of Bangalore, killing Prof. Munish Chandra Puri of IIT Delhi and injuring four, after two or more unidentified gunmen fired at Puri and others...
, an attack with unknown suspects who are still at large.
A silver Vauxhall Astra, which was subject to a controlled explosion by police on 3 July 2007, was believed to have been rented by Dr. Abdullah.
Attacks
Dr. Abdullah and the driver of the Jeep CherokeeJeep Cherokee (XJ)
The Jeep Cherokee is a unibody compact SUV. It shared the name of the original full-size SJ model, but without a body-on-frame chassis, it set the stage for the modern SUV. Its innovative appearance and sales popularity spawned important imitators as other automakers began to notice that this...
that was rammed into the terminal and set ablaze, engineer Kafeel Ahmed
Kafeel Ahmed
Kafeel Ahmed was one of two terrorists behind the 2007 Glasgow International Airport attack, who later died of his injuries sustained in the attacks.-History:...
, who died from third degree burns on 2 August 2007, are also believed by police to have been responsible for leaving car bombs in London two days earlier. Dr. Abdullah was the owner of the Jeep and has been charged with conspiracy to cause explosions. He was remanded in custody awaiting trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
, and was ultimately given two concurrent life sentences, of which he would be required to serve at least 32 years in prison.
While Ahmed was aflame in the car, Abdullah reportedly attacked Sergeant Torquil Campbell at the scene, in an attempt to prevent him from approaching the burning vehicle, and running back to try to open the back hatch. During the scuffle, police officer Stewart Ferguson was spraying the burning man with a fire extinguisher. Popping and banging could be heard coming from the vehicle. A suicide note left behind indicates that the duo intended to die in the attack.
Aftermath
It has been reported that his motive was to avenge the death of a friend killed in the Iraq War by a Shia death squad, hate against the West over PalestinePalestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, and that he had been radicalized by the teachings of al Qaeda and al-Zarqawi. The radical organization Hizb ut-Tahrir
Hizb ut-Tahrir
Hizb ut-Tahrir is an international Sunni. pan-Islamic political organisation but keeps it open for all including shias,some of its beliefs are against sunni school of thought, whose goal is for all Muslim countries to unify as an Islamic state or caliphate ruled by Islamic law and with a caliph...
denies reports from the Telegraph that Abdullah was a member.
During his own testimony during trial, Bilal said his motivation was the destruction of Iraq, first through sanctions that included even medicine, the rise of childhood leukaemia which he blamed on depleted uranium
Depleted uranium
Depleted uranium is uranium with a lower content of the fissile isotope U-235 than natural uranium . Uses of DU take advantage of its very high density of 19.1 g/cm3...
armour-piercing shells used in the 1991 Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, and for destruction of infrastructure during the U.S. and British 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Abdullah had been given limited registration by the General Medical Council
General Medical Council
The General Medical Council registers and regulates doctors practising in the United Kingdom. It has the power to revoke or restrict a doctor's registration if it deems them unfit to practise...
(GMC) from 5 August 2006 to 11 August 2007. The GMC's interim orders panel made a determination, subsequent to the Glasgow International Airport attacks, that Abdullah's registration should be suspended for 18 months, as an interim measure. Since Abdullah's registration was already to expire on 11 August 2007, his registration was suspended only until then.
Conviction
On 17 December 2009 he was convicted at Woolwich Crown CourtWoolwich Crown Court
Woolwich Crown Court, located at 2 Belmarsh Road, Thamesmead is one of twelve Crown Courts serving Greater London.It stands adjacent to both HM Prison Belmarsh and Belmarsh Magistrate's Court. Operational from 1993, it has 7 courtrooms and deals with more than 750 cases a year. Until recently,...
of conspiracy to murder, and sentenced to life imprisonment with a requirement that he spend at least 32 years in jail.
External links
- NHS terror plot: police investigate global email network used by 'bombers' - Photograph of Dr. Bilal Abdullah's arrest.