Filipino cleared of terrorism charges in Belfast

A 34-year-old Filipino arrested in Northern Ireland in January 2004 has been cleared of terrorism offenses in Belfast. He spent 11 months in jail before having been allowed to post bail. Jaybe Ofrasio, charged with raising money for Jemaah Islamiya, was accused of being a senior lieutenant in the al-Qaeda-linked terror group. Prosecutors claimed he was involved in financial transactions for JI and had accessed information useful to terrorists. The Belfast Crown Court formally dropped the charge against Ofrasio on Wednesday, BBC News reported. Ofrasio was arrested in 2004 in Belfast where his wife and children now live. Just when jury trial was about to begin after 12 jurors were sworn in, the prosecution said it was offering no evidence against Ofrasio, prompting the judge to order the five men and seven women jurors to acquit him. The Belfast Telegraph said lawyers for Ofrasio have raised concern that the United States or another foreign government will still seek to extradite him even after he had been cleared of all charges. Right now, one of his lawyers said he was “anxious to return to a normal family life with his young family in Northern Ireland and to contribute to the evolving multi-cultural society here." But the same lawyer said Ofrasio’s visa has expired while awaiting his trial. Ofrasio faced eight terror-related offenses when he was arrested in January 2004. Six of the charges were dropped before Wednesday’s court hearing on the two remaining charges. Some of the claims were purportedly based on CIA (Central Information Agency) information about computer contact between Belfast and the Philippines. Ofrasio was accused of having a floppy disc titled: "Handling of sources by US Army" that was of a kind likely to have been of use to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, the BBC report said. He was said to have possession of documents entitled: "How can I train myself Jihad" and "SA-7 Grail." Ofrasio was arraigned in Belfast in October 2006 on charges of supplying funding and assistance for acts of terrorism. - GMANews.TV