Police officers in court over Babar Ahmad 'attack'

Babar Ahmad is being held in Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire

Four police officers have appeared in court charged with attacking terrorist suspect Babar Ahmad in December 2003.

They are accused of assault occasioning actual bodily harm during the arrest of Mr Ahmad in Tooting, south London.

The Met officers - Pcs Nigel Cowley, 33, Roderick James-Bowen, 40, Mark Jones, 43, and Det Con John Donohue, 36 - appeared at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court.

Defence counsel Colin Reynolds said all four men intend to plead not guilty.

The four men spoke only to confirm their names and ages.

All four were members of the Metropolitan Police's territorial support group (TSG) at the time of Mr Ahmad's arrest.

Fundraising website

District Judge Daphne Wickham committed the case to Southwark Crown Court on 29 October.

The police officers, who amid high security did not enter the court via the main entrance, were granted unconditional bail.

Mr Ahmad is being held in Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire after the European Court of Human Rights halted his extradition to the US to face separate terror charges.

He is accused of raising money to support terrorism in Chechnya and Afghanistan via websites and e-mails.

US investigators claim he was behind the website azzam.com which was a well-known terrorist fundraising website.