A would-be terrorist who plotted to blow up a Heathrow passenger plane is set to be released from prison. Adam Khatib, 39, from Walthamstow in east London hatched a plan with other Al Qaeda sympathisers to smuggle liquid explosives hidden in bottles of Lucozade and Oasis on to a plane destined for either the US or Canada in 2006.
However, their attempt to murder hundreds of passengers was successfully foiled by police, leading to the biggest crackdown on aviation security in history. The uncovering of the plot has seen restrictions placed on the amount of liquids passengers can take on board planes. To this day, travellers are still not allowed to take more than 100ml of any particular liquid on most flights.
Khatib – who called himself “Adam Osama Bin Laden” – was found guilty of conspiracy to murder and was told he must serve at least 18 years behind bars.
But the former east London factory worker has just been granted parole, having finished his minimum 14-year term.
A hearing was held on August 7 at the high security prison where he is being held, to assess his application. The 39-year-old gave evidence to the panel and asked to be released on licence.
A written summary stated: “Mr Khatib told the panel that he had become angry and frustrated at the oppression of Muslims and the policies of the UK and US governments in relation to the Israeli-Palestine conflict and the Iraq war.
“Mr Khatib told the panel that he no longer condoned the use of violence and had a more rational understanding of the futility of violence in seeking change. Mr Khatib had also developed a greater understanding of his religion and of the Qur’an.”
The board was told that Khatib had been “susceptible to indoctrination” as he searched for “identity, meaning and belonging”.
The panel heard that Khatib had “undertaken accredited programmes to address his decision making, extremist offending, and ways of disengaging.” This included “victim awareness”.
Experts, including psychologists, supported his release, saying that there was no further work Khatib needed to do
A release plan was outlined by his probation officer, detailing strict limitations on his contacts, movements, and activities. This was presented as an “extensive level of monitoring.”
The parole board concluded: ‘After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in custody and the evidence presented at the hearing, the panel was satisfied that imprisonment was no longer necessary for the protection of the public.”
A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: ‘We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board has directed the release of Adam Khatib following an oral hearing. Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.”