Dhiren Barot, a British man who pleaded guilty to planning a series of bombs on US and British targets, was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday. Barot was accused of planning several attacks, including the "Gas Limo Project" to blow up three limousines filled with explosives in underground parking garages in Britain.

Justice Butterfield of the Woolwich Crown Court handed down the sentence, saying a successful execution of Barot's plans would have resulted in a catastrophe on a "colossal and unprecedented scale." Prosecutors presented evidence that Barot wrote a proposal to obtain approval and funding for the plan from al Qaeda leadership in Pakistan. Barot pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges for his involvement in the plot last month, but his seven co-defendants maintain their innocence.

Prosecutors also said Barot planned to detonate a bomb below the River Thames in an attempt to immerse the London subway system in water. In addition to attacks planned throughout the UK, prosecutors alleged that Barot planned to attack the International Monetary Fund and World Bank buildings in Washington DC, the New York  buildings in Newark, New Jersey. Barot was indicted in New York for the US-related bomb plans last April, along with two other men.

WASHINGTON – Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales announced on Monday that the United States signed an Executive Agreement with Eurojust, the judicial cooperation unit of the European Union (E.U.), which will improve transatlantic law enforcement coordination and enhance the ability of the U.S. and the E.U. to fight international crime. The Agreement will foster the exchange of information between law enforcement communities in the U.S. and the E.U. and will strengthen cooperative efforts to prevent and prosecute organized crime, human trafficking, cybercrime and terrorism.

Specifically, the agreement establishes the position of U.S. Liaison Prosecutor to Eurojust. The Liaison Prosecutor will be based at Eurojust headquarters in The Hague, Netherlands, and will facilitate law enforcement cooperation between the U.S. and the E.U. on a day-to-day basis. The Agreement particularly ensures the protection of personal information and individual privacy for both citizens of the U.S. and the E.U.

“This agreement is just one more example of the strong relationship that exists between the United States and the European Union on law enforcement issues,” said Attorney General Gonzales. “It represents an important part of our ongoing efforts to combat transnational crime and international terrorism while protecting the civil liberties of our citizens.”

The Executive Agreement was signed following troika meetings hosted by Attorney General Gonzales at the Department of Justice with Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, Minister of Justice of Finland Leena Luhtanen, Minister of Interior of Finland Kari Rajamaki and Vice President of the European Commission Franco Frattini.

On Sunday, Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death by hanging for the murders of 148 people in the mainly Shia town of Dujail following the 1982 assassination attempt on him.

After two days of anticipation of the Hussein verdict, civilians have been allowed back out into the capital and two other provinces, but vehicles remain banned until Tuesday morning. Police in Baghdad were allowing people to make essential journeys like going to hospital or buying provisions from shops that had opened. It has been reported that activity was already returning to the streets before the partial lifting of the curfew.

An automatic appeal will be launched against the sentence and is due to be heard by a panel of nine judges. If the sentences are upheld, the executions must be carried out within 30 days of the decision, meaning the hangings could therefore take place within two or three months.

The appeals process for the former Iraqi leader and his six co-defendants is expected to take only a few weeks. Two of the co-defendants were sentenced to death, one to life in prison and three to 15-year jail terms.

Saddam Hussein is due back in court on Tuesday when a separate trial for atrocities committed against Iraqi Kurds resumes, but Iraqi officials say the hanging would not be delayed artificially to allow this to take place. Some legal experts have argued that the Anfal killings trial should be allowed to reach a verdict before Saddam Hussein is executed. According to Saddam Hussein's defence lawyers, they have not received official notification of the death sentence, which they say is required before they launch their appeal. However, that is a technicality, and it shows how ineffectual a lot of the rules and regulations governing the trial process have been.

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Neal Andrea
Staff Writer