Mohammed Yaseen, a terrorist who belonged to Al Qaeda and later Isis, has been spotted shopping at a Co-op close to Windsor Castle, the residence of King Charles. Yaseen was free to walk the streets near the castle after he was allowed to stay in Britain on human rights grounds.
Yaseen was part of the Al Qaeda group that beheaded Briton Ken Bigley before joining an Isis unit that carried out stonings, beheadings, and mass executions. He was released from prison last week after serving just six months of a two-year sentence for illegally entering the country on a small boat, following a near five-year prison term in Germany for his Isis membership.
Human rights grounds block deportation
Despite a court hearing that he 'posed a danger to the whole of the UK', Yaseen cannot be deported because he has applied to stay in the country. The Foreign Office has raised concerns he could face 'mistreatment' if he were returned to Iraq because of his terrorist past, the Mail on Sunday reports.
The former Al Qaeda member has been put up in a bail hostel in Windsor, and he was snapped shopping in a Co-op close to Windsor Castle. Experts have said Yaseen could cost the taxpayer £85,000 as the Home Office pays for his stay in accommodation and his food allowance.
Political reaction and security concerns
Chris Philp, Shadow Home Secretary, said: 'We are paying through the nose to feed, clothe and house individuals who pose a clear threat. If Andy Burnham took this seriously, he would deport this man at once.'
A court in Germany heard in 2020 that Yaseen was involved in bomb attacks that killed US troops in Iraq. He also served as a security guard for Isis, including during at least two mass executions where the victims included children.
Arrest and release details
Yaseen was intercepted last December by Border Force. He gave officials a false name before routine biometric checks revealed his true identity. At his trial at Winchester Crown Court, prosecutor Steven Molloy said Yaseen had a 'deeper and lengthy involvement in terrorism and Islamic extremist ideology'.
It is understood that Yaseen was cleared to walk around town with an ankle tag and observe a 6pm to 6am curfew. However these restrictions did not stop him going to Windsor Great Park or to the castle.
Background and recent developments
Yaseen grew up in western Iraq and became a member of Islamic State of Iraq, a franchise of Al Qaeda, aged just 16. The group's leader, Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, beheaded Western hostages – including Liverpool engineer Ken Bigley, 62, executed in 2004 – in front of cameras. As a teenager, Yaseen planted at least 13 bombs on the roads around At-Rutbah, where he lived, a German court heard.
The German government tried to deport him back to Iraq after his prison sentence expired last year, but a judge ruled there was a real risk he could be mistreated or even executed back home. The Mail on Sunday reports that Yaseen was recalled to prison hours after the Home Office was contacted by the newspaper about the case. A source at the Ministry of Justice said he was taken back to prison as he had apparently breached his 'good behaviour' requirement at the bail hostel. The source said: 'He is no longer in Windsor.'
