Just days after the Gulf War started, staff at the

Just days after the Gulf War started, staff at the American
Embassy in London were put on bomb alert by a hoaxer, a court heard
today (Fri).

Pakistani Jamil Akhatar, 39, made two phone calls to a US Marine
sergeant claiming that a 1,000 pound bomb was due to go off.

Jobless Akhatar, of Tenby Road, Walthamstow, admitted two charges
of communicating false information with intent.

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard that during the early evening of
January 28 last year Akhtar was drinking in the Unicorn pub in
Clayhall Avenue, Barkingside, Essex.

‘Witnesses heard him attempting to call the Central Intelligence
Agency,’ said Miss Nergis Anne Mathew, prosecuting.

Akhtar was seen by customers in the pub to become ‘more and more
agitated and annoyed’ and was overheard talking about TNT and a ‘big
bomb in the basement.

‘
US Marine Sgt Christopher Franklin spoke to ‘a man with a Middle
-Eastern accent’ who said that a 1,000 pound bomb was due to go off in
the basement of the American Embassy at 8.

45 pm, the court was told.

Chief Inspector Ian Hoskin based at New Scotland Yard monitored
two calls that were traced to the Unicorn pub.

‘As a result of the calls to the US Embassy police units arrived
and a search was made both outside and inside,’ said Miss Mathew.

Initially officers from Barkingside Police Station arrived at the
pub because a customer was worried at Akhatar’s behaviour but they
were unaware of the havoc he had caused with the hoax.

It was only when local police received information from Chief Insp.

Hoskin that they realised he had been calling the US Embassy and not
his wife as he had at first claimed.

Akhatar was searched and found to have a red diary containing
telephone numbers for the Iranian, Iraqi, Saudi, and US Embassies.

And it became clear later that he was a voluntary patient at a
nearby mental hospital.

It was revealed that the day before he made the calls his wife
had given him a hefty dose of anti-depressants and sleeping tablets.

Mr Philip Proghoulis, defending, described the bomb hoaxes
as ‘nothing more than ramblings.

‘
Passing sentence Recorder Jan Paulusz told him: ‘It is
quite clear you were acting under the combined influence of very strong
medication compounded by alcohol resulting in your doing something
totally out of character.

‘
Conditionally discharging shabbily dressed Akhatar for
18 months, the recorder added: ‘This is a wholly exceptional case.

Normally these offences are dealt with very seriously indeed but
nobody is going to be deterred however by passing a custodial
sentence on a man in your condition.

‘
ENDS
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