Four Al Qaeda terror suspects under surveillance in Brum

Sep 19 2010 by Ben Goldby, Sunday Mercury

A MUSLIM fanatic described by security services as the most dangerous terror kingpin in Britain is living under a control order in Birmingham, the Sunday Mercury can reveal.

The suspected Al Qaeda plotter – known only as AY – was accused of being a major player in the 2006 plan to use liquid explosives to bring down 10 transatlantic airliners, killing 3,000 innocent civilians.

But the 29 year-old was acquitted of all charges two years ago, and despite links to senior Birmingham-born Al Qaeda commander Rashid Rauf, he is back living in Alum Rock.

He is one of FOUR terror suspects living in the Midlands under control orders, with two other men linked to the region now living under restrictions in the North of England.

Another detainee – an Iraqi who escaped his control order and went on the run in the West Midlands – has not been traced by MI5 in more than three years.

Details of the control order suspects emerged as Jonathan Evans, the head of MI5, supported the controversial detention methods and warned that a fresh wave of terror recruitment meant it was only “a matter of time” before the UK was attacked again.

Last night, a senior security official described Birmingham-based suspect AY as “the most dangerous and important Al Qaeda operative in Britain’’.

“He is so important to Al Qaeda that a large part of the tactics adopted by those convicted for the liquid bomb plot when questioned by detectives were aimed at keeping him out of jail,” the government advisor said.

“Of the people who have been released, he is clearly a very significant person. He continues to be a serious threat to national security. The courts haven’t been afraid to rescind control orders where they feel the person is no longer involved in jihadist activity. But this man remains one of just a dozen people under the orders.

“Everything we know about him points to him being a figurehead for Al Qaeda activity in Britain.”

Abdulla Ahmed Ali, Assad Sarwar and four other fanatics have been jailed for life over the 2006 airline bomb plot, while AY – the alleged field commander for the attack – was freed in 2008.

Another suspected plotter with links to AY remains on a control order in the North of England, and was branded an “intelligent, capable, well trained, individual who remains committed to terrorist activity” at a court hearing last year.

AY and Rauf, from Ward End, were childhood friends who lived just 100 yards from one another.