The British Labor Party has suspended one of its peers Thursday, after he apparently blamed a slew of past legal troubles on a "Jewish conspiracy." Lord Nazir Ahmed, 55, was arrested and convicted of reckless driving in 2009, for sending text messages shortly before his car was involved in a fatal crash. He was sentenced to 12 weeks in jail. Ahmed became one of the first Muslim peers in the UK, after former Premier Tony Blair appointed him in 1998. According to the British media, Ahmed was quoted by an Urdu-language broadcast in Pakistan as saying that the judge who jailed him was appointed to the High Court after helping a "Jewish colleague of Tony Blair during an important case." Ahmed maintained that he was the victim of a plot that stemmed from "Jewish disapproval of my support for the Palestinians in Gaza." He blamed his imprisonment on "pressure placed on the courts by Jews who own newspapers and TV channels." A Labor spokesman confirmed Thursday that the Muslim peer was suspended pending an investigation into the allegations. "The Labor Party deplores and does not tolerate any sort of racism or anti-Semitism. We will be seeking to clarify these remarks as soon as possible," he said. Labor previously suspended Ahmed in April 2012, after he offered a $14 million bounty for the capture of U.S. President Barack Obama and his predecessor George W. Bush. Ahmed reportedly offered the bounty following a decision by the U.S. to offer a $10 million reward for the capture of Pakistani militant leader Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which left 166 people dead.
UK: Labor suspends MP for blaming his legal troubles on Jews
Lord Nazir Ahmed says his 2009 reckless driving conviction and subsequent jail sentence were result of "Jewish conspiracy" over his support of Palestinians • Labor says "party does not tolerate any sort of anti-Semitism" • Suspends him pending investigation.
Load more...