Contextualising the existence of the al-Qaeda training Manual & the

arrests of the ‘Nottingham Two’ in Operation Minerva on 14 May

2008 by West Midlands Counter-Terrorism Unit and Nottinghamshire
Police at the University of Nottingham, UK.

1. The document that led to the arrests was entitled the ‘al-Qaeda Training Manual’
and was downloaded by Masters student Rizwaan Sabir, a UK national of Pakistani
descent, in December 2007 from the United States Department of Justice website
in preparation for a PhD application on international terrorism.

2. The document was sent by Rizwaan Sabir to Hicham Yezza, an Algerian national, a
former PhD student and the editor of political journal entitled Ceasefire in
December 2007.

3. Hicham Yezza was acting in the capacity of an academic mentor to Rizwaan Sabir
and assisting him with the drafting of his PhD proposal. He held an administrative
post within the Department of Modern Languages at the time of his arrest.

4. After approximately five months, on May 12 2008, Hicham Yezza was absent from
work. A colleague after receiving permission to access his computer for a work-
related purpose discovered the al-Qaeda training manual, along with two academic
journal articles, on the desktop of his office computer.

5. The three documents were reported by this individual to the Human Resources
department, who eventually reported the matter to the Registrar’s Office.

6. The Registrar looked at the three documents and without conducting any form of
risk-assessment or following governmental protocol on what to do in such a
circumstance, reported Hicham Yezza to Nottinghamshire Police.

7. Nottinghamshire Police requested the assistance of the West Midlands Counter-

Terrorism Unit, who arrived on campus on 12 May 2008 and began searching
Hicham Yezza’s office.

8. On May 14 2008, at approximately 9:00 hours, Rizwaan Sabir arrived within the
Trent Building. He inquired what activity was occurring within Hicham Yezza’s,
which was situated approximately fifty feet away from his own office, and inquired
for his welfare. He was refused any information by Nottingham University security
personnel.

9. Rizwaan Sabir then attempted to make direct contact with Hicham Yezza via
telephone, but failed. Eventually, Hicham Yezza returned his call. Rizwaan Sabir
checked Hicham Yezza’s welfare and informed him that a campus security
presence was outside his office and speculated that a burglary may have occurred.

10. Hicham Yezza thanked him for the information and made his way onto campus.
11. At approximately 10:20 hours, Rizwaan Sabir entered the gent’s toilets of the Trent
Building and was immediately followed in by three non-uniformed counter-
terrorism police officers. He was asked for identification and was requested to
follow an officer to an unmarked police vehicle that was parked in the car park of
the Trent Building.

12. At approximately 10:30 hours on 14 May 2008, Hicham Yezza arrived in the
courtyard of the Trent Building. He was asked for his name by a counter-terrorism
police officer, who then placed him under arrest under Section 41 of the Terrorism
Act 2000 on suspicion of being involved in the ‘commission, preparation or
instigation of an act of terrorism’.

13. At 10:40 hours, Rizwaan Sabir, after being questioned by a police officer for
approximately 20 minutes in a stationary police vehicle, was also arrested under
Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 on suspicion of being involved in the
‘commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism’.

14. Both men were driven to the Bridewell custody facility in Nottingham city-centre,
where they were held in solitary confinement for a total of six days.

15. On 20 May 2008, at approximately 14:00 hours, Rizwaan Sabir and Hicham Yezza
were released without charge. Hicham Yezza was, however, re-arrested on
unrelated immigration charges.

16. Hicham Yezza was charged and convicted for ‘securing avoidance of enforcement
action via deceptive means' and was sentenced to a nine-month custodial sentence.

17. Hicham Yezza has since won civil action against the Home Office for forced
removal and has been granted indefinite leave to remain.

18. Rizwaan Sabir is currently a second year PhD student at the University of
Strathclyde where he is researching UK policy toward Muslims and Islam, with a
particular focus on counter-terrorism.

END