UK al-Qaeda accused 'set up terrorist camps in US'

• British terror suspect denies involvement with al-Qaeda

• Haroon Rashid Aswat may face US justice over terrorism charges

• UK police are looking for connection with London bombings also

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A BRITISH-BORN al-Qaeda suspect appeared in court yesterday accused of trying to set up a terrorist training camp in the United States.

Haroon Rashid Aswat, 30, who was arrested in Zambia last month, denied involvement in terrorism.

He has been charged in a New York court with providing material support to terrorism in the US.

He is alleged to have conspired to set up a camp in Bly, Oregon, between 1999 and 2000, aimed at training men to fight in Afghanistan.

Aswat appeared at Bow Street Magistrates' Court, sitting at Belmarsh prison yesterday, and was remanded in custody, pending an extradition request from the US authorities.

The court heard that Aswat and another man were dispatched to the US in 1999. After arriving in New York, they travelled to Seattle, where they allegedly conspired to set up the camp. It also heard that a witness claimed Aswat once boasted that he had "been in a camp in Afghanistan and he once saw Osama bin Laden".

At the hearing, Aswat was asked whether he would consent to being extradited to the US.

He replied: "At the moment, no."

British officers looked for links between Aswat and the July bomb attacks on London, but have not taken any further action.