Extremists allowed to leave UK to ease home terror threat

Police are allowing known extremists to leave the UK and their watch because they pose more of a risk by staying here, it can be disclosed. Officers and MI5 call it the “home and away debate” and have to continually decide whether it is safer to let someone go. A senior counter-terrorism officer said no one have ever been knowingly allowed to leave for Syria or other warzones but signalled some have gone to other countries. The dilemma emerged after an Islamist became the first to be convicted of plotting an attack in the UK after being prevented from travelling to Syria. Nadir Syed planned to kill police and soldiers in an Isil-inspried car and knife attack on Remembrance Sunday last year.
Detectives said the atrocity, had it succeeded, would have been larger and more horrific than the Lee Rigby murder.

He was obsessed with Fusilier Rigby’s killers and inspired by an Isil fatwa issued weeks before ordering followers to murder soldier and police wherever they were. He was arrested on November 6 last year just days before annual Remembrance day commemorations. Rambo-style” knives had already been bought when police moved in. Syed was found guilty following a six week trial at Woolwich Crown Court. The jury returned a majority verdict after more than 50 hours' deliberation. The case will also reignite concerns around the banned extremist group al-Muhajroun, which he was associated with. Syed turned his attention to carrying out an attack in the UK after being stopped from travelling to Syria to join Isil in April last year. Nadir, 22, from Hounslow, west London, was stopped from leaving the UK due to bail conditions.

A senior counter-terrorism officer said: “At this stage he was effectively landlocked. “This is quite a critical issue and is obviously a dilemma for us in terms of taking passports off extremists. “The dilemma is if they want to carry out a terrorist attack they are constrained to carry it out here.
“It is one of those risk factors when we take passports off people. Are we actually making the risk of them carrying out a terrorist attack here higher?” He added: “It is called the home and away debate. Do you let them go? Are they going to be dangerous overseas or more dangerous here? It is a dilemma for us and it is not an easy one. “It depends on other factors at play. It depends on where they are going to go and what they are going to do. “If the risk of them carrying on being radicalised and carrying on this activity is reduced by them going to another country then there may be a consideration to let them go because they are more of a risk here and more of a threat here with the company they are keeping.

“They may have a relative or a family (overseas) and that may moderate them.” But he stressed: “Generally speaking we do not want to be letting or allowing a radicalised individual here to go to a war zone or a place like Syria where they can then come back even more trained and back to their home country on their own passport. “Most of the time, if we can, we are going to stop them travelling.” Wearing a maroon sweatshirt and Islamic skull cap, bearded Syed showed no emotion as the jury returned their verdict. However, the jury failed to reach verdicts on his co-accused, and cousin, Yousaf Syed and Haseeb Hamayoon. They will both now face a retrial.



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/12050779/Extremists-allowed-to-leave-UK-to-ease-home-terror-threat.html

Leaving this country isn't a problem, it's letting them back in which is the problem. If they want to go and join a bunch of murderers, that's entirely up to them.

I agree Rags, ensure if they leave they renounce their citizen status, through legal documentation.

If they wanna leave here I am all for it but no way would they ever get back in.

We make out a black list of anyone we do not want in our countr, distribute it to ALL airlines as a NOT TO ADMIT and if they disobey we fine them and or ground their aircraft and fine their respective embassis.

The alternative would be to lock them up here if they say they want to leave to join ISIS on the grounds that they're a security threat. I can't see that happening though, what with the "human rights" issues.

Richard The Lionheart wrote:I agree Rags, ensure if they leave they renounce their citizen status, through legal documentation.

That would require a whole new law wouldn't it? It would be OK if they weren't British citizens by birth, but how do you take away someone's citizenship if they were born here? Also, what if they gained citizenship in another European country? They would be able to travel here anyway.

Raggamuffin wrote:

Richard The Lionheart wrote:I agree Rags, ensure if they leave they renounce their citizen status, through legal documentation.

That would require a whole new law wouldn't it? It would be OK if they weren't British citizens by birth, but how do you take away someone's citizenship if they were born here? Also, what if they gained citizenship in another European country? They would be able to travel here anyway.

I know it is difficult but it has been talked of before and lets face it legally they should just pass a law, as they want to join ISIS, then let them.
There should be no issue if foreign born though like you say.