Brits 'Met Brussels Suspect In Birmingham Park'

Two people from Birmingham have appeared in court accused of giving money to Brussels and Paris attacks suspect Mohamed Abrini.

Mohammed Ali Ahmed, 26, and Zakaria Boufassil, 26, are charged with giving £3,000 to Abrini when he was in Britain.

It is alleged they met Abrini - "the man in the hat" - in a park in the Small Heath area of Birmingham, in July last year, and handed over the cash.

The pair face one count of the commission of offences abroad under section 17 of the Terrorism Act.

They are accused of entering into an arrangement in which money was made available to another person, and that they knew, or had reasonable cause to suspect, it would or may be used for the purposes of terrorism.

Ahmed is also accused with a third person, Soumaya Boufassil, of collecting money for terrorism between 1 January 2015 and 8 April 2016.

Soumaya Boufassil wore a burka and spoke only to confirm her name, date of birth and address.

The two men wore jumpers and also spoke only to confirm their details. The case lasted for 23 minutes.

Chief magistrate Howard Riddle sent the case to the Old Bailey for a hearing on 13 May. The defendants were remanded in custody.

The trio were among five people arrested on 14 and 15 April.

A fourth man - Fazal Sajjad Younis Khan, 40, also from Small Heath - has been charged with possession of CS spray.

A 59-year-old man remains on bail with strict conditions while the investigation continues.