Pendle 'Bomb-Factory' Story

Submitted by John, UK (United Kingdom), Oct 25, 2006 at 09:52

Two men, from Pendle in Lancashire, were arrested and charged with offences under the Explosive Substances Act(1883) and were remanded in custody.

A former BNP candidate in the local Pendle elections, Mr Robert Cottage, who came third in the Vivary Bridge constituency, and Mr David Jackson both attended a pre-trial hearing at Preston Crown Court at which a trial date was set for the 12th of February, 2007.

Muslim bloggers are upset that this story has been confined to the local press, especially since it was originally reported to be a bomb-making factory which had been raided. The Nelson News, The Citizen and This is Lancashire have covered the story, but none of the Nationals have touched it. Our friends at the Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK want to know why there has been no media outrage to date.

They seem to have overlooked the reassuring statement given by Superintendent Neil Smith at the time. He said, "It is not a bomb-making factory.", and also added, "[Mr Cottage] was arrested under the Explosive Substances Act on suspicion of possessing chemical substances that aren't in themselves an offence to possess, but if combined may be capable of making an explosion.".

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