CAMPAIGNER and former diplomat Craig Murray has revealed he could be facing potential criminal proceedings after he was detained under terrorism laws – and believes police may be seeking information on Wikileaks.
The former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, who is now a member of the Alba Party, was previously told The National how he was detained last week at Glasgow Airport and questioned by border police for an hour.
Murray said he had his phone and laptop taken from him and has now revealed that his phone has been kept by Police Scotland “as it is required for further investigation”.
It is unclear under which powers the police are retaining the phone, though the part of the Terrorism Act cited in the letter for the device being taken in the first place gives officers the powers to confiscate items which they believe “may be needed for use as evidence in criminal proceedings”.
That part of the legislation only gives police the powers to hold confiscated items for a week, according to official Home Office guidance on the Terrorism Act.
This suggests another part of the legislation is in play, however the letter does not state which.
Murray said his detention last week may have related to a tweet he posted expressing support for Hamas, which could be a criminal offence because the UK has designated the organisation as a proscribed terrorist organisation.
The former diplomat said he was detained at Glasgow Airport on his return from Reykjavik last Monday, where he had been meeting other members of the campaign to free Wikileaks founder Julian Assange (below).
He had also attended a march in support of Palestine after war broke out between Hamas and Israel on October 7 and has alleged the police are attempting to gather information on Wikileaks though his phone.
Assange is facing criminal charges in the US under the Espionage Act for publishing thousands of classified documents on Wikileaks between 2010 and 2011.
Murray told The National on Tuesday evening: “It seems like they are using the Palestine thing as an excuse to get information on Wikileaks.”
He said he has been offered legal support by Glasgow-based human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar and in his blog pleaded with followers to donate to help fund a bid to raise his case with the United Nations Human Rights Committee.
Murray wrote: “This is an enormous abuse of human rights. The abuse of process in refusing both a lawyer and the right to remain silent, the inquiry into perfectly legal campaigning which is in no way terrorism-associated, the political questioning, the financial snooping and the seizure of material related to my private life, were all based on an utterly fake claim that I am associated with terrorism.”
He added: “My legal team have already made a submission against this outrage to the United Nations Human Rights Committee and are looking at the possibility of judicial review in the UK.
“We also have to prepare the defence against possible terrorism charges, ludicrous as that sounds.
“I am afraid this all costs money. I am grateful for the unfailing generosity of people in what seems a continual history of persecution.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We have received a number of complaints and officers are carrying out enquiries."
