Terrorist Zahid Iqbal was part of a four-man gang that discussed driving a toy car loaded with explosives into a Territorial Army site in 2013, and was subsequently jailed for 16 years
A terrorist who plotted to bomb an Army base was recalled to prison over fears he possessed a book about 9/11 and was using a secret mobile, the Mirror has learnt.
The release of Al-Qaeda-inspired Zahid Iqbal was at the centre of a political storm after Justice Secretary David Lammy was urged to intervene. Would-be bomber Iqbal was part of a four-man gang that discussed driving a toy car loaded with explosives into a Territorial Army site in 2013.
Now the Mirror can reveal he was released from prison in 2021 but recalled after cops monitoring his laptop discovered he was using a secret mobile phone and had deleted his call history. In Parole Board documents, a psychologist said she could “not say that he was definitely not talking to other extremists” but stressed he had shown no other radical views.
Iqbal also admitted having a Kubotan keychain – a self-defense weapon – and was accused of having conspiracy theory books and a book about the 9/11 terrorist attack. This allegation was not pursued for lack of evidence. Mr Lammy appealed the Parole Board’s decision to direct Iqbal’s release, saying the decision was irrational.
But, Michael Topolski KC, a judicial member of the Parole Board, refused Mr Lammy’s application on the grounds of irrationality, but ordered a new review of Iqbal’s release on a point of law, saying a previous panel had failed to “provide sufficient evidence-based reasons for the decision taken to direct release”.
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It means Iqbal will face a fresh review where a new panel of experts will assess the case. They are likely to go through the relevant paperwork again and assess his behaviour in prison and other factors.
The review will also likely hear testaments from those who have had contact with him. They are also likely to hear evidence from specialists and officials who have been in contact with them in jail.
Iqbal was jailed for 11 years and three months, with a five-year extension period, for the planned attack in Luton. But he was due to be released after the Parole Board deemed him safe earlier this year. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp and Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy wrote to Mr Lammy to urge him to block the release.
They wrote: “We are deeply concerned about this decision, especially as both his prison offender manager and community offender manager said he should stay in prison.” Iqbal, 43, was a member of a terrorist gang that planned the attack in Luton in which a remote-controlled toy car would be used to carry a homemade bomb.
The co-leader of the group planned to make the bomb based on instructions in an Al-Qaeda manual called Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom – by the Al-Qaeda chef. In 2013, Iqbal was jailed for 16 years after he admitted one count of engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism. He had also arranged terrorism training in Pakistan and discussed getting weapons. Woolwich Crown Court was played tapes of the gang discussing bomb-making.
Sentencing the men, Mr Justice Wilkie QC said in April 2013 that Iqbal and Ahmed, then 25, posed a continuing risk to the public. Their extended sentence of 11 years in jail and an additional five years on licence after release reflected their key roles in the plot.
The terms of their sentences mean they could be recalled to prison anytime during their five years on licence. The judge said: “In each of their cases, their persistent commitment to terrorist activity, in a number of different ways, over a significant period of time and, in each case, their willingness to take practical steps to obtain terrorist training abroad, marks them out as particularly dangerous.
“This, coupled with the fact that, after their houses had been searched, and they were obviously under serious suspicion, they nonetheless continued to access material consistent with the mindset which informed their previous preparatory activities, persuades me that they continue to be ‘dangerous’ to such a degree that I should exercise my discretion to pass an extended sentence.”
