- The asylum seeker has been allowed to stay despite plotting attacks in the UK
- He created a list of nightclubs and airports that could possibly be targeted
- He was due return to Jordan but Amber Rudd changed her mind after claims he'd be tortured
- Instead, he must simply re-apply every six months to prolong his stay
An asylum seeker described as the ‘very model of a modern Al Qaeda terrorist’ has been allowed to stay in Britain despite being jailed for plotting attacks in this country.
The ‘sleeper agent’ jihadi – who The Mail on Sunday is banned from identifying – was about to be deported back to his native Jordan after his release from prison.
But Home Secretary Amber Rudd changed her mind after the man’s lawyers argued that he would be tortured.
The man was convicted of amassing terrorist materials, including bomb-making manuals, on his computer.
A jury heard that he created a list of targets such as nightclubs and airports, and was described by the trial judge as an ‘Al Qaeda sleeper agent’ waiting to launch an atrocity in the UK.
He was jailed for nine years at Manchester Crown Court but was released after only five years.
The Home Office then ordered that the terrorist be deported to Jordan. Earlier this year he appealed against his deportation at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC), a secret court that only hears cases involving foreign terrorists and others who pose a threat to national security.
But as the married father began his appeal, Mrs Rudd wrote to his lawyers, revealing she will no longer deport him.
Daniel Furner, a lawyer at Birnberg Peirce, who was acting for the man, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The Home Secretary decided not to deport him to Jordan in July this year because she accepted he would face a serious risk of torture.’
The man has now been given ‘restricted leave to remain’, which means he has to apply every six months to have his stay extended.
mo
The jihadi sleeper agent we can't deport – or even identify | Daily Mail Online
The ‘sleeper agent’ jihadi – who The Mail on Sunday is banned from identifying – was about to be deported back to his native Jordan after his release from prison.
But Home Secretary Amber Rudd changed her mind after the man’s lawyers argued that he would be tortured.
The man was convicted of amassing terrorist materials, including bomb-making manuals, on his computer.
A jury heard that he created a list of targets such as nightclubs and airports, and was described by the trial judge as an ‘Al Qaeda sleeper agent’ waiting to launch an atrocity in the UK.
He was jailed for nine years at Manchester Crown Court but was released after only five years.
The Home Office then ordered that the terrorist be deported to Jordan. Earlier this year he appealed against his deportation at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC), a secret court that only hears cases involving foreign terrorists and others who pose a threat to national security.
But as the married father began his appeal, Mrs Rudd wrote to his lawyers, revealing she will no longer deport him.
Daniel Furner, a lawyer at Birnberg Peirce, who was acting for the man, told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The Home Secretary decided not to deport him to Jordan in July this year because she accepted he would face a serious risk of torture.’
The man has now been given ‘restricted leave to remain’, which means he has to apply every six months to have his stay extended.
mo
The jihadi sleeper agent we can't deport – or even identify | Daily Mail Online
