British Student Arrested At Heathrow.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2544939/British-student-arrested-Heathrow-16-000-hidden-knickers-Syrian-fighters.html

I am somewhat at a loss over this, here we have the UK supporting the rebels fighting against Bashar al-Assad's forces and yet two women get arrested and charged with terror offences for trying to supply these same rebel forces with money.

What am I missing?

[sandyRoe]

There are 'good rebels' and less good ones. The money must have been destined for the ones our government doesn't like.

[youngmafbog]

Do the Government help with money? I thought it was more words.

[Gromit]

The rebels are made up of a multitude of groups who want rid of Assads regime. Most of them we can support. But there are two groups which the US and UK regard as terrorist organisations, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and Jabhat al-Nusra. If the Government had information that the money was targeted to either of those groups, then the charge of aiding terrorists stands.

It is not clear whether we are supporting the rebels in Syria, and if we are, whether any financial help is going there. The Syrian rebels have had arms and intell in the past, mainly from the US via Turkey and Israel.

But William Hague's stance on the Rebels is very confused and a mess. No one seems to know which side we are on or who we are or aren't supporting.

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

How do they know one from the other, since they do not wear uniform and they seem to be fighting just as a mob?

[Peter Pedant]

You're obviously missing a good working knowledge of the law - which we kinda always knew.

Terrorist offences are a world of their own - one of the few areas where you can be prosecuted for failing to inform the police of (whatever). Certainly for assisting terrorism (who gets to decide ? The govt of course !) .
As Anne Frank might say ( changing it a bit I admit ) its against the law to breathe near a terrorist ( she was referring I agree to the Nuremberg laws as applied in Amsterdam ) . You cant for example leave the country with an intention to aid terrorism .

Tee vee progz where Horatio arrests a terrorist suspect are true.
Horatio says something like: " I am arresting and reading you your rights. You have no rights. I am not telling you what for. I am not telling you where to.
You will be taken to a prison possibly out of the land of the free - locked up and we can throw away the key....."

anyway the story is underpants innit ?

[Peter Pedant]

If the police reasonably believe the 16 tharsand knicker is in connection to an offence - here going abroad to aid terrorism - then they can keep it under POCA and challenge the girlie to show her actions were lawful.

[Gromit]

// How do they know one from the other, since they do not wear uniform //

Rebels from Syria have a different accent from rebels from Iraq, Saudi, Afghanistan. A bit like an Englishman and a Scotsman look the same until they open their gobs.