A London court has denied bail to a terrorist suspect whom police have linked to convicted "shoe bomber" Richard Reid.
The 24-year-old suspect, Sajid Badat, appeared at London's Bow Street Magistrate's Court on Thursday to hear three charges read against him.
The first charge alleges Mr. Badat conspired to cause a potentially deadly explosion with Richard Reid, an al-Qaida follower who pleaded guilty last January to attempting to blow up a U.S. jetliner two years ago with explosives packed in his shoes. The British-born Reid is serving a life sentence at a U.S. federal penitentiary in Colorado.
The police charge sheet against Mr. Badat says other people were involved in the alleged conspiracy, but their identity is not known. The other two charges against him relate to possession of explosives.
Mr. Badat did not speak at his court appearance, except to confirm his name. The court turned down a bail request, saying the accused could try to flee prosecution. Mr. Badat will be held in jail until his next court date, at London's Old Bailey criminal court, next Thursday.
Britain's anti-terrorism branch arrested Mr. Badat on November 27 at his home in the town of Gloucester, in southwestern England. Police say they found a small quantity of explosives during the raid.
Following the arrest, British Home Secretary David Blunkett said authorities believe Mr. Badat had connections with al-Qaida, the terrorist network that attacked the United States on September 11, 2001.
Police have arrested more than 20 people over the past week in a series of anti-terrorism raids in central and southern England. Since mid-November, Britain has been on its second-highest state of alert after intelligence services warned of a possible terrorist attack.