LONDON, April 17 (Reuters) - A jury convicted a leading figure in Britain's Tamil community of terrorism on Friday, finding him guilty of supplying bomb-making equipment to the Lankan Tamil Tigers guerrilla group.
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| Chrishanthakumar |
Prosecutors had accused Arunachalam Chrishanthakumar, 52, of supplying materials, including electrical components with an “obvious terrorist purpose”, to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who have fought the Sri Lankan government for decades.
Despite warnings from police to stop aiding the group, Chrishanthakumar, also known as Shanthan, continued to provide material support in his role as head of the United Tamil Organisation, prosecutors said.
The jury at Kingston Crown Court in southwest London also found Chrishanthakumar guilty on a second charge of receiving documents for the purpose of terrorism, a court clerk said.
However, the jury failed to reach a verdict on three other charges against him and on one charge against his co-defendant.
A third defendant was found not guilty on all charges.
Chrishanthakumar's conviction comes at a time of heightened tension within Britain's 100,000-strong Tamil community.
Angry Tamil protesters have held nearly two weeks of demonstrations outside Britain's Parliament calling for London's help in securing a ceasefire between Sri Lankan forces and Tamil Tiger separatists on the Indian Ocean island. |
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