Two extremists who plotted a bombing campaign across the country have been released from prison.
Waheed Mahmood and Anthony Garcia were among five men jailed for life in April 2007 after they were found guilty of a conspiracy to kill hundreds of people with a series of fertiliser-based explosions. Targets of the al-Qaeda-linked gang included the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent, London's Ministry of Sound nightclub and gas and electricity supply stations. Mahmood, 52, from Crawley, West Sussex, was freed in September after being cleared for release by the Parole Board.
At the same time the former British Gas boiler engineer launched a High Court case against an application by the Met Police to make him the subject of a Serious Crime Prevention Order. The orders are designed to stop criminals and terrorists from committing further offences by restricting their movements, contacts and use of finances and technology.
Mahmood, who is married with children, is already subject to strict licence conditions including surrendering his passport, GPS tagging, lie detector testing, signing-in with police and a curfew. Other measures designed for extremist related offending include non-contact conditions, exclusion zones, and allowing the police to search his home. Ringleader Omar Khyam, led Mahmood, Garcia, Jawad Akbar, and Salahuddin Amin in the plot, which was foiled by MI5. Mahmood was a leading member of the gang and sent others abroad for Jihad training.
Jailing the men after one of the biggest trials in UK criminal history, judge Sir Michael Astill told them: "You have betrayed this country that has given you every opportunity. All of you may never be released. It is not a foregone conclusion." Mahmood's callousness was laid bare in a conversation recorded in March 2004 by MI5.
A few days after the 2004 Madrid bombings, which killed 191 people, he was overheard saying: "Spain was a beautiful job weren't it? Absolutely beautiful, man, so much impact." On another occasion he talked about bombing the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent on a Saturday. He was heard saying: "I don't know how big it would be, we haven't tested it, but we could, tomorrow - do one tomorrow."
Mahmood also suggested pitching a burger van on a street corner and selling food laced with poison. A Parole Board spokesperson confirmed that a panel had directed the release of Garcia and Mahmood, adding: "Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority."