UK News 22-11-2004 Blunkett Gets Tough On Terror who: Home Secretary David Blunkett what: Says he plans to crank up anti-terrorism laws after election where: LONDON when: Yesterday snippet: "Civil rights groups told of their fears last night," says The Mirror, "over David Blunkett`s scheme to try terror suspects without juries and arrest those suspected to be at the point of planning attacks." The home secretary hopes to be able to prosecute suspected terror conspirators for making transactions on proscribed bank accounts or even accessing the internet and he intends to permit evidence acquired through wire-tapping to be introduced in criminal trials. Mr Blunkett told ITV1`s Jonathan Dimbleby programme that his proposals will be set out in a draft bill, but he made it clear that they will not be introduced until after the next general election, "whenever the prime minister calls it". "Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group Liberty, warned that the generations-old principle of innocent until proven guilty risked being eroded by the expected anti-crime legislation," says The Independent. "The Law Society, which represents solicitors, warned that the measures could be seen as a step `in the direction of a police state`." [... more]

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