British Tory party donor charged for funding terrorism

Former Bangladeshi army officer donated £20,000 to the Conservative party

Mohammed Shahid Uddin Khan has donated £20,000 (Dh 93,395) to the British ruling Conservative party. Reuters

A British Conservative Party donor has been charged with funding terrorist organisations, illegal arms dealing, fraud and money-laundering in Bangladesh.

Mohammed Shahid Uddin Khan, 55, of Wimbledon, south-west London, was a former colonel in the Bangladeshi army.

He is facing jail in his homeland after his Dhaka property was raided by counter-terrorism police in January.

According to British paper The Sunday Times, Mr Khan has donated £20,000 (Dh93,395) to the Conservative party and has lived in the UK capital since 2009, when he bought a multimillion-pound "golden visa" to ensure he and his family could stay in the country.

Bangadeshi police say they found detonators, weapons, radical literature linked to Al Qaeda and fake Bangladeshi currency in Mr Khan’s home.

They say they have uncovered 54 bank accounts held by the donor, which provide evidence of money laundering and funding of terrorism.