A “despicable” terrorist who admitted being a mastermind behind the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks could be released onto Britain’s streets within days. Haroon Aswat, who confessed while in US custody, could be released imminently from a secure unit without a full risk assessment, reports say.
It comes less than a month after the UK commemorated the 20th anniversary of the 7/7 bombings in London, which killed 52 people — the worst single terror attack on British soil in history. Aswat is said to have been trained in al-Qaeda camps in Afghanistan months before 9/11, and in 2005, police traced 20 calls to a phone linked to him made by the 7/7 attackers prior to the bombings. US court documents show the 50-year-old admitted he was a “mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks and a 2005 terrorist attack in the UK”.
The documents were obtained by The Sun, which reports that Aswat could soon be released from a UK psychiatric unit because of a legal loophole that prevents him from being subjected to rigorous security checks due to the “circumstances of his detention”.
The US District Court document reportedly says: “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.”
The document stated Aswat is “a terrorist and foot soldier of al-Qaeda trained to commit acts of violence”, adding: “His comments while in prison and his numerous disciplinary violations indicate he still supports al-Qaeda and remains dangerous.”
Aswat, from Batley, West Yorkshire, was arrested but never tried for the 7/7 attack; however, he pleaded guilty to other terror charges in the US.
In 2015, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, but this was reduced to seven years due to his time at the specialist psychiatric Broadmoor Hospital in Berkshire.
It is one of three high secure psychiatric hospitals in England and Wales and treats people with mental illness and personality disorders who represent a high degree of harm to themselves or others.
According to The Sun, Aswat was deported back to the UK in December 2022 and is being held at Bethlem Royal Hospital, south London, under the Mental Health Act.
Doctors say Aswat is fit to be released “in the relatively near future” but he cannot be formally risk-assessed while detained under British law, per reports.
Authorities will be able to keep tabs on Aswat after a notification order was issued following an application at the High Court.
Detective Chief Superintendent Gareth Rees, head of operations for the Met’s SO15 Counter Terrorism Command, said of Aswat in a witness statement: “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.”
Other police officers also expressed concerns, including Detective Sergeant David Taylor, who told the court: “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.”
As part of the notification order, Aswat will be obliged to register his address and inform the police of his future travel plans. However, per The Sun, he will not be under surveillance or wear a tag.
Granting the order, Mr Justice Jay said: “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.”
A report by a psychiatrist in 2022 found that Aswat continued to pose a serious risk.
It said Aswat, even when relatively mentally stable, “continued to express violent extremist Islamic ideology”.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick told The Sun: “This despicable man was behind one of the most deadly attacks in modern history. He should never experience freedom again.”
A Government spokesman said protecting national security is the “very first priority”.
“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,” the spokesman said.
“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.”