Terror Suspects: defence lawyer gets death threats

High-profile solicitor Muddassar Arani has hit back at what she called 'Islamophobic and racist vilification' following press allegations last week that she urged Muslims not to co-operate with police investigations into terrorist activity.


Ms Arani acts for one of the London bombing suspects and has represented other high-profile terrorist suspects, such as Abu Hamza. The papers reported comments she made on suspects' right to silence in terror cases at a lecture in 2003.


Ms Arani said in the lecture: 'The rule of thumb on a terrorist case is: do not answer any questions that are put to you. You have a right to silence. Use it to protect yourself and others who may be arrested with you.'


She said that she advises suspects to refuse to give police basic information such as name, occupation and birthplace.


Emphasising the importance of having a solicitor present, she explained in her lecture that if suspects answered some questions but not others, it could look incriminating.


Following the reports, staff at the west London firm, Arani & Co, have received death threats, abusive calls and threats to bomb the office.


In a statement, the firm said it would hold editors responsible if anyone was hurt. It said the articles were 'intended to deliberately mislead' and that Ms Arani's comments had been taken out of context. It pointed to similar advice on the Criminal Law Solicitors Association Web site.


The firm said it acts for a wide range of clients and asked why no other solicitors handling terror cases 'have been targeted in this manner'.