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UK Government Forces Through Terror Laws Just In Time To Block Release of Daesh Sympathiser

Mohammed Zahir Khan
Mohammed Zahir Khan - Sputnik International
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Mohammed Zahir Khan, 42, was due to be freed from prison on 28 February, after serving half of his sentence for encouraging terrorism. He was jailed in May 2018 for posting in support of Daesh online and calling for a "year of fear.”

Emergency legislation to block the automatic release of people who were convicted of terror offences has come into law.

Around 50 prisoners who were due to be released after serving half of their sentences will now have to wait until they have done two-thirds of their jail time and are considered fit for release by the Parole Board.

The legislation was rushed through Parliament – and given Royal Assent on 26 February – after Sudesh Amman was gunned down by police as he stabbed shoppers in Streatham, south London earlier this month.

​Amman, 20, had been staying in a bail hostel after being released from prison, where he served half of a three year sentence he was given in December 2018 for sharing terrorist material.

There was widespread public alarm that Amman had been allowed out and the government pushed through the Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) Bill.

© AP Photo / Alberto PezzaliA police officer stands guard near the scene after a stabbing incident in Streatham London, England, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020
UK Government Forces Through Terror Laws Just In Time To Block Release of Daesh Sympathiser - Sputnik International
A police officer stands guard near the scene after a stabbing incident in Streatham London, England, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020

The Bill does not apply to Northern Ireland but the government said there was no need for "immediate measures" in Ulster as none of the 50 were serving their sentences there.

The first person whose release will be delayed will be Mohammed Zahir Khan, a shopkeeper from Sunderland in north-east England, who was convicted of spreading *Daesh propaganda online.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said on Wednesday: "No terrorist should be released early only to kill and maim on our streets. Protecting the public is the government's first duty and our message is clear - enough is enough.
"From today, terrorist offenders will only be released before the end of their sentence if the independent Parole Board is satisfied they no longer pose a threat, and they will face the strictest possible conditions and monitoring upon release."

*Daesh (ISIS/ISIL) is an international terrorist group which is banned in Russia.

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