Home Secretary Theresa May has insisted a terror suspect who escaped surveillance by disguising himself in a burka does not pose “a direct threat to the public in the UK”, despite mounting concern over his disappearance.
Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed is understood to have had training and fought overseas for al-Shabaab, the Somalia-based cell of the militant Islamist group al-Qaida.
The 27-year-old is the second person to breach a Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures (Tpim) notice since they were introduced to replace control orders in early 2012.
Mrs May told MPs: “The police and security service have confirmed that they do not believe that this man poses a direct threat to the public. The reason he was put on a Tpim in the first place was to prevent his travel to support terrorism overseas.”
Mohamed entered a London mosque on Friday in western-style clothes but CCTV images showed him leaving with his face and body fully covered by a burka – the traditional Islamic garment for women.
In December, Tpim subject Ibrahim Magag ripped off his electronic tag and vanished in a black cab.
Both men were members of a UK-based network for terrorism-related activity in Somalia, court documents have revealed.
“The police have urged anyone who sees Mohamed or knows of his whereabouts not to approach him but to call 999 or to contact the anti-terrorist hotline,” Mrs May said.
Mrs May addressed the Commons as she came under increased pressure to explain how Mohamed was able to abscond.
Earlier, shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The home secretary also needs to provide information about the decisions made over Mohamed’s Tpim, how he was able to abscond and what the risks to the public are.”
Somalia-born Mohamed, who is 5ft 8in and of medium build, is understood to have taken part in terrorist training in 2008 and is believed to have helped individuals travel from the UK to Somalia to allow them to engage in terrorism-related activity.