British terrorism suspects fight extradition to US

LONDON, July 12 (Reuters) - Two British men wanted by the United States on terrorism charges launched a bid to block their extradition, saying they fear mistreatment by American authorities if they are handed over.

Lawyers for Babar Ahmad and Haroon Aswat told yesterday two of Britain's leading judges at the High Court the men feared they would be treated as ''enemy combatants'' by the United States and faced a risk of ''fundamental injustice and discriminatory treatment''.

Aswat has been held in Britain since being arrested in Zambia a year ago. A criminal complaint filed in US federal court accuses him of conspiring to set up a camp in Bly, Oregon, in 1999 and 2000 to train fighters for war in Afghanistan.

Ahmad, 31, a computer expert from south London, has been held in jail in Britain on a US arrest warrant since August 2004. He is accused of running a Web site that raised funds for Muslim militants in Afghanistan and Chechnya.

The men's lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald, told the court the suspects feared they could be detained indefinitely under a military order applying to foreign citizens or tried and sentenced by a military commission as ''enemy combatants'' like those being held in the US Guantanamo prison camp in Cuba.

This would be a ''flagrant denial of justice,'' he said.

Under legislation introduced in 2003, the US can seek extradition without having to present any evidence to a British court.

Washington has promised the two British men will not be sent to Guantanamo or turned over to a third country for torture, but Fitzgerald urged the High Court judges not to rely on US assurances that the men would be treated fairly.

Ahmad's supporters, who have waged a vociferous and determined campaign, argue he should face trial in Britain if he has charges to answer.

The hearing is expected to last several days and the judges are expected then to reserve their decision and give written ruling at a later date.

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