Parole Board to decide whether to release terror boss

The Parole Board is to decide whether a terror boss can be freed from jail.

A hearing is due to take place on Thursday to consider the case of Rangzieb Ahmed, the first person to be convicted in the UK of directing terrorism.

The Rochdale-born Muslim was jailed for life with a minimum of 10 years in 2008, after his trial heard how he headed a three-man al Qaida cell which was preparing to commit mass murder.

Counter-terrorism chiefs were not sure where Ahmed was planning to strike, but were convinced an attack was imminent, his trial heard.

His scheme was revealed with the discovery of three diaries, which were found to contain details and phone numbers of key al Qaida operatives written in invisible ink.

He later sued MI5 and MI6 for alleged collusion in his torture by Pakistani intelligence, but last year had his damages claim thrown out by the High Court.

Ahmed had claimed he was tortured at the hands of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency while detained between 2006 and 2007, before being deported to the UK and charged with terrorism offences.

A Parole Board spokesman said: “An oral hearing has been listed for the parole review of Rangzieb Ahmed and is scheduled to take place in June.

“A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.

“Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.”

It is understood a decision on his release is not expected until the end of the month and could take longer if additional information on the case is required.

Typically, it can take longer for the Parole Board to make decisions on terror cases because of the complexity and breadth of information considered.