16:33 Tuesday 9th July 2002 Reuters

A London man has gone on trial under a new terrorism law for running a Web site that prosecutors said offered to send would-be terrorists to the United States to learn about guns.

Sulayman Balal Zainulabidin, a chef arrested last October in a crackdown following the 11 September attacks in the United States, has denied offering firearms courses with the aim of training terrorists.

The case is an important test of the country's sweeping anti-terrorism law, which came into effect last year.

Civil liberties groups have criticised the law as too broad and for giving vast new powers to police.

Prosecutor Mark Ellison told a jury at the Old Bailey that Zainulabidin ran a Web site offering to send customers on a two-week firearms course in the United States called "The Ultimate Jihad Challenge".

A provision of the new law, which took effect in February, forbids training in firearms for purposes of terrorism, defined essentially as serious acts or threats of violence aimed at furthering political, religious or ideological causes.

Ellison said prosecutors would focus in part on the meaning of the word "Jihad" in the Web site's context to prove that Zainulabidin's Web site fitted the law's definition.

"Apart from its meaning in religious texts... Jihad, the prosecutors say, is the word used by Islamic extremists to justify acts of direct action, fighting, aggression or what is commonly called holy war against their enemies," he said.

Ellison said Zainulabidin had told police his courses sold self-defence and security training for Muslims.

But prosecutors said they would show "part of his purpose in making that invitation was to assist or prepare for terrorism."

Judge Graham Boal told the jury to expect the trial to run for several weeks at least.

Related Links UPDATE: Suspected terrorist training site shut down

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