A British court has agreed to allow the extradition to the United States of a British computer expert accused by American prosecutors of funding terrorism.
Judge Timothy Workman said he was satisfied Babar Ahmad would receive a fair trial in the United States. Ahmad's supporters in Britain argue that, if he has charges to answer, he should be tried in Britain.
"This is a difficult and troubling case," Judge Workman said at Bow Street magistrates court in London.
But he said the United States has the right to seek Ahmad's extradition under a British law, passed in 2003, which allows American prosecutors to request such a move without presenting evidence in a British court.
Ahmad (30) has been indicted in the United States for running a website that raised funds for Muslim militants in Afghanistan and Chechnya. He has not been charged in Britain despite being held in London's top security Belmarsh jail since last August.
Ahmad's cause has been taken up vocally within Britain's 1.8-million strong Muslim community. From his prison cell, he stood unsuccessfully as a candidate in this month's election in Brent North, an area of northwest London with a large Muslim population.