A TERROR boss behind a chilling UK bomb plot – and a close pal of London Bridge killer Usman Khan – has been freed from jail.
Mohammed Shahjahan, 38, was locked up in 2012 for plotting attacks on high-profile targets including Boris Johnson, Big Ben and the London Stock Exchange.
© Andrew Price / View Finder PiShahjahan, 38, was one of the gang jailed alongside London Bridge killer Usman Khan in 2012[/caption]
APKhan, 28, was shot dead by armed officers on London Bridge after fatally stabbing Cambridge graduates Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones[/caption]
West Midlands PoliceTerror cell from left to right: Mohibur Rahman, Gurukanth Desai, Abdul Miah, Mohammed Chowdhury and Mohammed Shahjahan[/caption]
Despite a failed parole bid in 2023, Shahjahan has now been cleared for release following another review.
The Ministry of Justice confirmed the decision, saying: “This decision was made by the independent Parole Board.
“A view opposing release was entered by the Lord Chancellor in September 2024.
“After thorough consideration of the Parole Board’s decision, it was concluded there was no legal basis to ask for reconsideration.”
He was sentenced alongside Khan and fellow extremist Nazam Hussain after the three were snared in a joint MI5 and police operation.
Shahjahan, from Burslem and Cobridge in Stoke-on-Trent, and his gang had long been considered a major extremist threat.
They were recorded promoting violent jihad and openly discussing potential strike points.
Shahjahan himself was branded the “ameer” – or leader – of the Stoke cell and was viewed by security services as a key recruiter.
The Stoke group were prolific in spreading their warped ideology.
They preached in public, distributed radical material and even set up a stall on Waterloo Road to push extremist propaganda.
At their most chilling, the trio were overheard fantasising about planting explosives in Stoke pub toilets, while also talking about targeting high-profile national landmarks such as Big Ben, the London Stock Exchange, and even then-Mayor of London Boris Johnson.
Investigators feared the group had the capability and determination to move from words to action.
The Stoke cell had originally linked up with extremists in London and Cardiff as early as 2010, agreeing that terror attacks on British soil were justified because of the UK’s involvement in wars overseas.
Their activities drew intense scrutiny, and in 2012 they were finally taken down in a major joint MI5 and police operation.
At their Woolwich Crown Court trial, judges ruled the men posed such a significant risk that indeterminate jail terms were handed down.
But those sentences were later overturned on appeal, meaning they would instead become eligible for release at the halfway point.
In 2019, Shahjahan walked free halfway through his 16-year term under automatic release rules.
But he was recalled a year later after breaching licence conditions when his electronic tag showed he had managed to avoid monitoring to visit his wife.
His close associate Khan was also freed early and went on to murder two young people during the Fishmongers’ Hall attack in November 2019.
Khan, 28, was shot dead by armed officers on London Bridge after stabbing Cambridge graduates Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones.
Hussain, another member of the gang, was also let out early before being later arrested again in an unrelated case.
The news of Shahjahan’s release has sparked fresh anger, with critics warning that he remains a danger.
Conservative MP Nigel Mills previously said: “I sincerely hope he is not released. Usman Khan was and he went on to commit a horrific terrorist attack.
“This is clearly a man who is one of the most dangerous people in the country.”
Jihadist Mohammed Shahjahan sets out vision for UK
PAFishmongers’ Hall terrorist Usman Khan being confronted on London Bridge by Darryn Frost, Steve Gallant and John Crilly after the 2019 attack[/caption]
HandoutComposite handout from West Midlands Police of nine men who admitted terror charges over an al Qaida-inspired plot to bomb the London Stock Exchange[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
