Al-Qaeda terror chief could be freed in June after being granted parole hearing

An Al-Qaeda terror chief jailed for life for planning mass murder could be freed within weeks after being granted a parole hearing.

Rangzieb Ahmed, once said to be Osama bin Laden’s top operative in Europe, was the first person in the UK to be convicted of directing terrorism.

He was jailed in 2008 for plotting mass murder and was caught with a book of terror contacts written in invisible ink, and a rucksack that contained traces of explosives.

Ahmed, 47, who has received almost £1 million in legal aid for his legal proceedings, was rejected for parole in September 2022 after officials judged that he was too dangerous to be released.

Then, in July last year, he was ordered to take part in a deradicalisation programme that aims to make him safe for release. Ahmed has now been approved for a new hearing with the Parole Board, in which he is expected to argue he is rehabilitated.

The hearing takes place on June 20 and if officials agree to release him, Ahmed is likely to be freed within weeks.

His freedom bid comes just days after it emerged another jailed terrorist is trying to secure an exit from prison.

Parviz Khan, who threatened to kidnap and decapitate a British Muslim soldier, will appear before the Parole Board next week.

Chris Phillips, former head of the national counter-terror security office, told GB News: “Public safety will be at risk if either of these men are released. You have to question whether it will ever be safe for either of them to walk the streets again.”

The terror threat from jailed Islamists has risen as almost one a week have been freed in the past year. Between 40 and 50 terrorists were due to be freed last year, according to the government’s Contest counter-terrorism strategy.

It warned that four of the nine declared terrorist attacks in the UK since 2018 were perpetrated by serving or recently released prisoners. There are currently more than 200 people in jail for terrorism-connected offences.

“Those convicted of terrorism, or a related offence, may continue to pose a threat [on release],” said the Contest report. “Despite ongoing efforts to mitigate the terrorist risk posed by individuals in custody, the vast majority will require long-term risk management which may last for decades post-release.”

Confirming the date of Ahmed’s freedom bid, 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 2024.

“Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.

“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.

“Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead-up to an oral hearing. Evidence from witnesses including probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements are then given at the hearing.”

“The prisoner and witnesses are then questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more. Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.”

Rochdale-born Ahmed was jailed for life with a minimum of 10 years in 2008, after Manchester Crown Court heard he was behind the terror cell. Counter-terrorism chiefs were not sure where Ahmed was planning to strike, but were convinced an attack was imminent.