Terrorist jailed for plotting London Stock Exchange bombing re-released from prison as Parole Board snubs Justice Secretary
A terrorist jailed for plotting the London Stock Exchange bombing has been re-released from prison by the Parole Board in a snub to the Justice Secretary.
Shah Rahman was one of four al Qaeda-inspired extremists who pleaded guilty in 2012 to preparing for acts of terrrism.
A list of targets was discovered at the home of one of the men with names and addresses of then-London mayor Boris Johnson, the US embassy, the stock exchange and two rabbis.
The operation was halted by undercover anti-terror police before any dates were set for the attacks.
Rahman was sentenced to 12 years in prison and five years on an extended licence.
He was first released in 2017, however was imprisoned again in March 2022 for another eight months after police discovered a secret bank account, breaching the terms of his release.
An initial review of his sentence in February 2023 confirmed that Rahman should stay in prison.
However, a second review in January of this year by the Parole Board decided that he should no longer be imprisoned as it was “no longer necessary for the protection of the public”.
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The board said: “The panel determined that there were no heightened concerns of an extremist risk and that Mr Rahman met the legal test for release.”
A report explained that the man had completed psychology sessions after his return to prison, focusing on his breach of licence and to help him better understand his faith.
It added: “Rahman had said that he became radicalised by events in Iraq and Afghanistan, that he lacked a proper understanding of Islam and that he had been influenced by extremists.”
According to the summary, professionals acknowledged his progress and concluded that a plan with “extensive monitoring” along with 30 licence conditions would be “robust enough” to allow Rahman back into the community.
Conditions imposed state he must live at a designated address, submit to curfews and GPS tagging, and comply with conditions to manage extremist offenders including allowing police to search him.
The document also noted that there were concerns about him on his return to custody however he had not been subject to security attention and there were no concerns recorded after October 2024.
However, it also mentioned that a representative for the Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, argued against his release.