LONDON -- Ian Cobain, a reporter with The Guardian, is one of few people who know why a student arrested by armed British police officers in 2013 was acquitted this year of terrorism charges.
But he cannot report what he knows. He was allowed to observe much of the trial, but only under conditions intended to keep classified material secret. His notebooks are being held by Britain's domestic intelligence agency. And if he writes -- or talks -- about the reason that the student, Erol Incedal, 27, was acquitted, Cobain faces prosecution and possibly jail.
"I know the essence of what was happening," Cobain said, "but I can't tell, I can't even talk to my editor about this."
Having initially gone along with the reporting restrictions, a number of British news organizations are now challenging them in court. The challenge is being heard under secrecy rules that leave the public mostly excluded. Were Cobain to break the law and disclose what he knows publicly, his prosecution would also take place in secret.
In the parts of the proceedings that were open, jurors heard that Incedal traveled to Syria, met a fighter known as Ahmed and discussed terrorist attacks.
In September 2013, Incedal, who was born in Turkey but lived in London, was stopped by the police for speeding, and his car was searched. A slip of paper found in a glasses case contained the address of a property owned by former Prime Minister Tony Blair, jurors were told.
While he was detained, Incedal's car was bugged, and a listening device recorded him talking about buying a gun.
Then came the arrest by armed police officers when Incedal was stopped while driving with a friend. Police said they found a memory card with instructions on assembling a bomb in Incedal's phone case.
After his first trial last year, Incedal was convicted of possessing the bomb-making guide and was sentenced to 42 months in jail. But a jury could not agree on whether to convict Incedal of broader terrorism offenses.
After a retrial, Incedal was acquitted in March.
A Section on 07/26/2015