Mother and daughter in terror plot case ordered to lift veils by magistrate who demands to see their eyes

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Three women (from left) Mina Dich, Rizlaine Boular and Khawla Barghouthi appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court charged with preparing a terrorist act and conspiracy to murder Credit: Elizabeth Cook/PA

• Danny Boyle

11 May 2017 • 3:01pm

A woman and her daughter charged in connection with what is thought to be Britain's first all-female alleged terror plot were told to lift their veils in court by a magistrate who asked to see their eyes.
Londoners Rizlaine Boular, 21, her mother Mina Dich, 43, and 20-year-old associate Khawla Barghouthi were charged in relation to the alleged planning of a suspected knife attack in the Westminster area of London.
The trio appeared in the dock at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday, flanked by three policewomen and three suited officials.
Both Boular and Dich wore burkas - which cover the entirety of a woman’s body - while Barghouthi wore a hijab, which covers the hair and neck while leaving the face clear.
Chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot asked the mother and daughter to lift their veils and they agreed so she could see their faces.
Elite armed officers swooped on Barghouthi's home in Harlesden Road, north west London, on April 27, where they arrested her and shot Boular.

Paramedics tend to woman shot by anti-terror police in Willesden 00:14

 

Boular, of Mount Pleasant in central London, was arrested three days later at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington when she was discharged.

Boular's mother, Dich, of St George's Wharf in south-west London, was arrested in Kent on the day of the raid in the capital.
The three women are accused of conspiring together to murder "a person or persons unknown" between April 11 and April 28 2017.
 

Police at the scene in Harlesden Road, London, where a woman was shot Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA

Boular is also charged with engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts between the same dates, while Dich and Barghouthi are charged with intending to assist her.

The trio were remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on May 19.

The hijab (which in Arabic means 'partition' or 'barrier') is a type of headscarf worn by Muslim women that covers the head and neck. It can also refer to the religious code that advises both men and women on dressing modestly.
The degree to which one is expected to cover up varies according to tradition and the garments illustrated here represent just a few of the common variants.

• 1. Hijab

  The hijab is the head covering most commonly worn in the West. It covers the hair and neck while leaving the face clear.
  

• 2. Chador

  The chador is a small cloak worn to cover the head and upper body while leaving the face clear. Most-commonly worn by women of Iranian heritage.
  

• 3. Niqab

  The niqab is a veil for the face which leaves the eyes visible. It is widely worn in Arab countries in the Gulf such as Saudi Arabia, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.
  

• 4. Burka

  The burka covers the entirety of a woman’s body from head to toe. It originated in Pakistan, but is most-commonly worn by women in Afghanistan, where it is known as the chadri.
  

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/11/mother-daughter-terror-plot-case-ordered-lift-veils-magistrate/