Would-be Isis terrorists work on London Underground

David Harding
·Contributor
London Bridge attacker Khuram Butt worked on the London Underground
London Bridge attacker Khuram Butt worked on the London Underground

Police are removing suspected potential terrorists working in ‘sensitive’ areas such as the London underground, it has been revealed.

UK security minister Ben Wallace admitted some ‘extremists’ who ‘posed a risk to London and its transport network’ had been removed from their jobs.

Mr Wallace said that some of those already removed had posed an ‘acute’ threat. He added that more removals would take place.

‘We’ve done a lot of work over the last year about people working in sensitive areas who shouldn’t be, and removing their ability to do so,’ the minister told the Evening Standard.

“It’s reducing the insider threat. There are definitely people who have worked in sensitive areas that we have now removed who would pose a risk to London and its networks of transport.

UK Security Minister Ben Wallace
UK Security Minister Ben Wallace

“We’ve got to protect as well as pursue. There are more things we can do around where these people work.”

Last year, one of the London Bridge attackers, Khuram Butt, was revealed to have previously worked for London Underground, despite being a known extremist.

MOST POPULAR TODAY ON YAHOO

Butt, a British national who was born in Pakistan, worked on the London Underground in 2016 for six months.

At the time, a spokesperson for TfL said: ‘Khuram Butt worked for London Underground for just under six months as a trainee customer services assistant, leaving in October last year.’

Some reports said Butt had worked at Westminster tube station.

In more general comments, Mr Wallace said that IS and far-Right extremists in the UK have been grooming people with autism to try and turn them towards violence.

He added that there were some 3,000 terror suspects under active scrutiny by police and security services.

Latest stories