Imran Khan<\/a>.<\/p>\nOne of the victims, human rights lawyer Mirza Shahzad Akbar, a former member of Khan\u2019s cabinet, told the Guardian he had been punched up to 30 times by a man who knocked on his door and checked his identity.<\/p>\n
Counter-terror police (CTP) said it took over the investigations from local police because of the \u201chighly targeted nature\u201d of the attacks.<\/p>\n
On Friday, CTP London said three men had been charged, and all are British nationals.<\/p>\n
Karl Blackbird, 40, from Bedworth, has been charged with conspiracy to assault occasion actual bodily harm in respect of two alleged attacks on 24 December.<\/p>\n
Clark McAulay, 39, from Coventry, has been charged with conspiracy to assault occasioning actual bodily harm over an incident in Chesham.<\/p>\n
Doneto Brammer, 21, from Wood Green, London, has been charged in connection with the alleged attack on 31 December at Akbar\u2019s home in Cambridgeshire.<\/p>\n
Brammer is charged with possession of a prohibited weapon, conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life, and conspiracy to commit arson being reckless as to whether life would be endangered.<\/p>\n
All three men were charged on Friday and will appear at Westminster magistrates court on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Police had arrested a man aged 34 in Essex on 5 January, who was released on bail.<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, five more people were arrested, including three of those now charged. Other arrests took place of a man, 30, in Birmingham and a woman, 40 , in north London, both of whom have been released on bail.<\/p>\nThe seventh arrest on Friday was of a 25-year-old man who was arrested in Warwickshire and remains in custody in a London police station.<\/p>\n
Counter-terrorism detectives say they also carried out a series of searches, with four in Birmingham, one in Coventry, one in Warwickshire and two at sites in London.<\/p>\n
Police said the investigation continues and added: \u201cDetectives are keeping an open mind as to any potential motivation behind the incidents. Officers are also keeping an open mind as to whether any of the incidents are potentially linked, and this remains an active line of inquiry being considered.\u201d<\/p>\n
Akbar, 48, told the Guardian he was in hiding after the attacks: \u201cThey are trying to scare and intimidate me, and I am pretty scared. I fear for my life and for my family\u2019s lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
The human rights barrister added: \u201cI am a Pakistani dissident living in exile here. I am an open critic of the Pakistani regime, which is backed by the military.<\/p>\n
\u201cI cannot say who did it. However, one thing is certain: it was a targeted attack and the people who attacked were probably hired by someone.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
#men #charged #highly #targeted #attacks #Pakistani #dissidents #security #counterterrorism<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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