6 charged in alleged plot to kill soldier

? Six men were charged Friday over an alleged plot to kidnap and kill a British soldier, prosecutors said, revealing details of the case for the first time.

Police arrested nine suspects on Jan. 31 in Birmingham, central England, and British news media reported the raids were in connection with an alleged plan to abduct, torture and behead a British Muslim soldier and broadcast the killing on the Internet.

Prosecutor Sue Hemming said before a court hearing Friday that the case involved an alleged plot to “kidnap and kill a member of the armed forces.”

Parviz Khan, 36, was charged with plotting to kidnap and kill a British soldier, prosecutor Patrick Stevens later told London’s City of Westminster court.

Five men accused of acting as his accomplices are charged with lesser offenses related to the alleged plot, carried out between March and January, prosecutors said.

Khan, along with Mohammed Irfan, 30; Zahoor Iqbal, 29; Hamid Elasmar, 43; and Amjad Mahmood, 31; was ordered jailed until a Feb. 23 hearing. The sixth man, Basiru Gassama, 29, was scheduled to appear at the London court today, police said.