Not Guilty Plea from Chiswick Business Park Terror Suspect
Friend from Chechnya helped Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev reach UK
A police presence remains a constant in the office development
A man charged with terrorism offences after being detained at Chiswick Business Park this Saturday has pleaded not guilty.
30-year-old Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (14 February) after being arrested in the vicinity of the offices of the broadcaster Iran International.
An earlier hearing had to be postponed due to a lack of a German interpreter to allow the Austrian national to understand the proceedings. The previous day a Russian language interpreter had been provided.
Dovtaev told the court that he had never been to the UK before and he had been able to travel to London with help from a friend called ‘Othman’ who he knew from his time in Chechnya. ‘Othman’ was listed in his mobile phone address book as ’B’.
The name Magomed is a spelling of Mohammed which is common in the Caucuses.
He admitted taking pictures of the Iran International offices but deleted them before his arrest. The indictment document shows that he had called two phone numbers, one in Russian and one in Turkey.
He was found to be in possession of seven videos of the outside of the building occupied by Iran International as well as of the security arrangements around the office development.
Dovtaev was remanded in custody with a date of 3 March set for his next appearance in court at the Old Bailey.
Commander Richard Smith, who leads the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said,“We are aware that an arrest of this nature in this particular area, and the subsequent charge against this person may cause some concern amongst the local community and those who work in the area.
“With criminal proceedings now active we are unable to comment any further on this particular case. However, detectives worked quickly to gather evidence that has led to this particular charge, and officers will continue to work to support the prosecution.
“Those who work in and around the Chiswick Business Park are likely to be aware that we introduced enhanced security measures in that particular area late last year.
“We continue to work closely with those affected by any threats to ensure that they are given appropriate advice and support. We have also put in place a number of protective security measures to mitigate against these threats, but we would ask people to continue to stay alert, but not be alarmed. As always, the public should stay vigilant and report anything suspicious to police right away.”
Iran International is a Saudi-backed broadcaster which consistently takes an editorial line hostile to the Tehran regime. Private security officers and armed police from the Met’s Project Servator have been patrolling Chiswick Business Park since security chiefs warned of possible attacks on journalists employed by the station instigated by the Iranian government.
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