Men dispute terror convictions

The two men denied funding terrorism

Two Leicester men convicted of raising funds for the al-Qaeda terror network have been granted leave to appeal against their convictions.

Baghdad Meziane, 38, and Brahim Benmerzouga, 32, were each jailed for 11 years at Leicester Crown Court.

The two men accumulated details of nearly 200 stolen cards and helped raise more than £200,000 to back the terrorism network, the court heard.

The trial, which ended in April, brought the first major convictions under the government's new anti-terrorism legislation.

Full court

Benmerzouga admitted one charge of conspiracy to defraud by manufacturing and/or using false bank cards and card details, as well as three charges of possessing false passports.

Meziane, who was seeking asylum in Britain, denied conspiracy to defraud but was found guilty by the jury.

He pleaded guilty to possessing one false passport.

The pair were arrested in September 2001, after a Europe-wide investigation into the al-Qaeda terror network.

A spokesman for the Court of Appeal said he could not reveal the reasons for giving them leave to appeal and no date has yet been set for the hearing in London.

Mr Justice Crane, who made the decision to allow the pair to appeal against their convictions, has referred an appeal against their sentence to be decided before a full court.