LONDON: Muhammad Gohir Khan made several attempts to reach Rotterdam, and even bought a knife during his visit to the Netherlands, as he explored the home and location of exiled blogger Ahmed Waqas Goraya.
Khan repeatedly asked a middleman in Pakistan for more details about the identity and whereabouts of the blogger – the man who allegedly hired the defendant for the murder plot.
the second day of testing In which Khan is charged with conspiracy to murder, the prosecution again made its case to the jury that the defendant intended to kill Goraya. Khan has pleaded not guilty and said that he wanted to take the cash – about GBP 80,000, of which 5,000 GBP was paid in advance – but that he did not intend to kill the blogger.
Covid restrictions in Europe hinder free movement of defendants
The trial has revealed exciting details of Khan’s discussions with a middleman from Pakistan, identified through phone messages as Mudz, Zed or Papa. Evidence provided by the prosecution shows that Khan was expressing dismay at having only one fake and one address and was demanding more money. Mudge doesn’t give much detail, and insists that “R&D is 75% of the job”.
At one point while he is in Rotterdam, Khan suggests staging a heist at the blogger’s address, as his two stake-outs were not reported at that location. “If it’s a Pakistani family how do we know who it is?” Respondent asked Mudze in another instance when the two discussed talking to neighbors or ringing the victim’s doorbell.
Mudge told Khan that he would meet with his contact, an unidentified person who appears to have more information about Goraya, but added that more information was not expected.
The prosecution’s case also demonstrated how the COVID-19 restrictions in Europe, particularly the Netherlands, thwarted the defendant’s travel plans. Khan obtained forged PCR tests and a fake invitation letter, allegedly of a fake person Zubair Khan, who was said to be his relative by the respondent.
When he arrived at Amsterdam’s Shipol airport, immigration officials who had contacted so-called Zubair Khan were suspicious when the man hung up the phone when asked if they knew how old Khan was. Khan was then denied entry, and returned to the UK. He later traveled to Paris by train, and then took a bus from there to Rotterdam, where the intended victim lives.
The prosecution also showed the jury that Mudz and the defendant discussed the need for a weapon. Although Mudz said no equipment was needed because the target was “not a baby shark”, Khan said the equipment would be purchased in the Netherlands.
Mudge said it was impossible to travel from the UK to the Netherlands with the ‘tool’. “You are watching too many action movies,” he told the respondent. Mudz emphasized that, as far as he understands, a weapon of that size is not needed to take out this particular target.
Khan said without a tool it would be “more of a mess”.
The prosecution said that Khan bought a 19 cm knife from a store near Goraya’s house and questioned why the defendant would buy a knife in such a way if he did not intend to proceed with the murder.
The hearing is expected to continue till February 1.
Published in Dawn, January 15, 2022