FURY erupted last night over the imminent release on to British streets of a terrorist who has admitted being a mastermind behind 9/11 and the 7/7 London bombings.
Despite his confession while in US custody Haroon Aswat, 50, could still be freed from a secure unit onto UK streets without a full risk assessment within days.
John CobbHaroon Aswat, 50, could be freed from a secure unit onto UK streets without a full risk assessment within days[/caption]
In 1999 Aswat helped Finsbury Park mosque hate preacher Abu Hamza set up a US terror camp
According to US court documents obtained by The Sun, the al-Qaeda fiend confessed he was a “mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks and a 2005 terrorist attack in the UK”.
But he could be released from a secure psychiatric unit within days thanks to a legal loophole blocking him from being subjected to stringent risk checks.
Click here to watch The Sun’s documentary on the horrific 7/7 bombings – Britain’s worst ever terror attack
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “This despicable man was behind one of the most deadly attacks in modern history. He should never experience freedom again.”
In April, we told how worried counter-terror chiefs — who believe Aswat, 50, is a continuing threat to national security — had to apply for permission to keep tabs on him.
But he will be subject only to a notification order requiring him to register his address and tell police of his future travel plans.
We put in legal requests for the disclosure of statements made to the High Court during the application for the notification order.
Aswat was arrested but never put on trial for the 7/7 bombings which claimed 52 lives and injured 800 on the capital’s Tube trains and buses.
But it can now be revealed that he confessed to his role while in a US jail in 2017 following his extradition on other terror charges.
The US District Court document states: “The defendant’s crimes are incredibly serious. He is a terrorist and foot soldier of al-Qaeda trained to commit acts of violence.
“His comments while in prison and his numerous disciplinary violations indicate he still supports al-Qaeda and remains dangerous.
“In 2017 he told staff he was associated with al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden was his ‘commander’ and that he would ‘behead all of you’.
“In March 2017 the defendant stated, ‘if you think I am a terrorist, I don’t shy away from my responsibility’, and also stated he was a mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks and a 2005 terrorist attack in the UK.”
In his witness statement Det Chief Supt Gareth Rees, head of operations for the Met’s SO15 Counter Terrorism Command, said of Aswat: “He has spoken positively of his time with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and expressed aspirations to reconnect with them.
“Based on my experience, this is conduct which gives me grave concerns about the risk which the defendant poses to the UK’s national security and to the public.
EPAAswat has admitted being a mastermind behind the 7/7 London bombings[/caption]
“The assessment of medical practitioners is that he currently has capacity to make complex decisions and understand complex restrictions when mentally stable.
“However, he may temporarily lose capacity if he were to relapse into a psychotic state.”
Aswat trained in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan months before the 2001 terror attacks which claimed more than 3,000 lives.
Documents also revealed his name on a ledger recovered from a house in Pakistan where the 9/11 “architect” Khalid Sheikh Mohammed stayed.
In 1999 Aswat helped Finsbury Park mosque hate preacher Abu Hamza set up a US terror camp.
In 2002 he stayed at an al-Qaeda safe house in Pakistan where he met two 7/7 bombers.
In 2005 police traced 20 calls to a phone linked to Aswat made by the 7/7 bombers before their attack.
That year Aswat was arrested in Zambia while possessing a terror manual and suspected bomb parts.
He was deported to the UK and held under a US arrest warrant.
Aswat fought extradition on mental health grounds but after a nine-year battle was sent to the US in 2014.
A year later he pleaded guilty to terror charges.
His 20-year jail term was cut to seven years because of time detained here at Broadmoor Hospital.
Aswat, of Batley, West Yorks, was deported back to the UK in December 2022 and is held under the Mental Health Act at Bethlem Royal Hospital in South London.
Doctors say he is well enough to be released “in the relatively near future” but UK law means he cannot be formally risk-assessed while detained.
GettyAswat as also confessed to involvement in 9/11[/caption]
A report compiled in 2022 by psychiatrist Dr Richard Taylor concluded he still posed a serious risk.
It highlighted Aswat has “continued to express violent extremist Islamic ideology” even when in a relatively stable mental state.
Other police officers who gave statements to the High Court in April also expressed concerns.
Det Sgt David Taylor said: “I assess the defendant has a significant involvement within Islamist extremism, involvement in terrorism and a long-standing association with others holding radical beliefs.
“I believe the defendant’s US conviction, historic involvement with Islamist extremist groups and previously reported mindset alongside his vulnerable and fragile mental health do pose a potential risk to the security of the UK.”
Det Insp Karen Bradley warned of danger if Aswat was excluded from normal risk checks applied to terrorists after release.
No formal terrorist risk assessment has been carried out since the defendant’s return here
Mr Justice Jay
She said: “In my professional judgment, I believe that Mr Aswat still poses a potential terrorist risk.”
The High Court was told that, owing to his detention, Aswat was not allowed to be assessed under Extremism Risk Guidance protocols.
Under the notification order, he will not be under surveillance or wear a tag and can travel abroad if he tells cops in advance. Granting the order, Mr Justice Jay noted: “No formal terrorist risk assessment has been carried out since the defendant’s return here.
“The circumstances of his detention have precluded that.
“However, on the basis of the material which is available the defendant has been assessed by various police officers that he remains a risk to national security.”
Protecting our national security is the very first priority of this government and if any individual poses a threat to that security
A Government spokesman
We had to formally notify Aswat of our request for more details before the Met Police agreed to release them and also agreed to notify medics caring for him prior to publication.
Papers also revealed police and courts were obliged to consider his human rights when applying for the notification order.
A Government spokesman said: “Protecting our national security is the very first priority of this government and if any individual poses a threat to that security, the police and intelligence services have a range of powers they can apply to deal with that threat.
“We will always do whatever is necessary inside the law to protect the public from any risk posed by former terrorist offenders or people of terrorist concern.”
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