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India born Al Qaeda agent treated for burns

By IANS

London : An Indian-born Islamic convert who became a top Al Qaeda agent and was sentenced to life imprisonment by a court here last year has been treated for severe injuries inflicted in prison.

Dhiren Barot was admitted to Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary more than a week ago but his stay in the hospital as well as his identity were kept a secret to protect medical staff and other patients.

He is believed to have been scalded in Frankland Prison, Durham, and needed specialist treatment for burns, The Daily Mail reported. Durham police and jail authorities are investigating the incident.

The police have mounted round-the-clock security around the terrorist, who was kept away from other patients.

Barot was initially examined at the infirmary last week and returned to prison the same evening. He was taken to the hospital again the next day for prolonged treatment for the burns.

The 34-year-old had planned to detonate a radioactive "dirty bomb" in the British capital and also plotted assaults on the World Bank in Washington and the New York Stock Exchange.

Police said he had planned to detonate limousines filled with gas cylinders in underground car parks. He was also said to have plotted to detonate a bomb under the river Thames to flood the Underground network and potentially drown hundreds of commuters.

Barot's 40-year minimum jail term is one of the toughest sentences ever handed down by a British judge, making the defendant not eligible for parole until he is 74-years-old.

Barot was born in India in December 1971 and came to Britain with his Gujarati Hindu parents a year later.

He last worked as an airline ticket clerk in London before disappearing to Pakistan in 1995, where he allegedly visited terrorist training camps.