3 charged in UK with funding Brussels, Paris attacks suspect

Three people, including a woman, accused of providing thousands of pounds to Islamic State militant Mohamed Abrini who is linked to deadly attacks in Paris and Brussels, appeared in a court here today.
Mohammed Ali Ahmed and Zakaria Boufassil, both 26-year-old, are accused of handing over Abrini 3,000 pounds when he was in Birmingham last year.
31-year-old Abrini is charged with terror offences after admitting he was the "man in the hat" caught on CCTV minutes before the bombings at Brussels Airport on March 22 which left 320people dead. He was arrested on April 8.
They appeared with Zakaria's sister Soumaya Bouffasil, 29, who is accused of collecting money for terrorist purposes along with Ahmed.

All three, arrested earlier this month, are based in Birmingham but while Ahmed is a British national, the Boufassil brother-sister duo are Belgian-Moroccans.
They were all remanded in custody by chief magistrate Howard Riddleat Westminster Magistrates' court and will now appear at the Old Bailey court in London on May 13.

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.
Their charge of preparation of terrorist acts between January 1, 2015 and April 8, 2016, falls under Section 5 of the UK's Terrorism Act 2016.

A fourth man, 40-year-old Fazal Sajjad Younis Khan, was charged with possession of CS spray (tear gas) and has been bailed to appear before Birmingham Magistrates' Court on May 13.
A 59-year-old man remains on bail with strict conditions while the West Midlands Police investigation continues.
Abrini was previously wanted in connection with the Islamic State attacks on Paris in November which left 130 people dead. He was spotted in a car with fellow suspect Salah Abdeslam.