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Al-Qaeda terror boss with links to 7/7 bombers could be freed from British jail next month
BRITAIN'S top Al Qaeda terror master is being prepared for release from prison and could be out in January, it was revealed today.
Twisted Rangzieb Ahmed, 44, got life in 2008 for plotting carnage across the UK and was linked to the 7/7 London bombers who killed 52.
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The danger man - the first ever member of Al-Qaeda to be convicted of directing terrorism in the UK - was also connected to the failed
London bomb plot two weeks later.
He is believed to have links to every major British terror cell and was heard boasting of meeting Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the architect of the September 11 attacks.
Ahmed was caged after he was caught with a book of terrorist contacts written in invisible ink and a rucksack showing traces of explosives.
He was regarded as so important that a second man, Habib Ahmed, 28, a taxi driver from Manchester, was recruited as a lieutenant to carry the incriminating documents on his behalf.
TERROR FANATIC
The fanatic was part of a three-man cell on an unknown terrorist operation in Dubai and Saudi Arabia in December 2005 that was aborted after a third man, Hamza Rabia, was blown up.
He was once heard telling an accomplice: “We will meet on earth if I'm alive or otherwise in paradise."
But justice authorities have swiftly reduced the level of jail security clamps on the fanatic in recent months - and confirmed last
night that he could be free within weeks.
The move sparked anxiety among victims’ campaigners last night - days after freed terrorist Usman Khan killed two innocents in his London
Bridge stabbing spree.
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A source close to Ahmed told The Sun: “Ahmed is doing all he can to convince the authorities he is a reformed man and is ready for
release.
“The latest move to a Category C jail is another step in that direction. He’ll be keeping his head down hoping the end of his
sentence is just round the corner.”
News of the Al-Qaeda disciple’s release plan came after Boris Johnson revealed 74 people jailed for terror offences and released early will
have their licence conditions revised.
The Ministry of Justice launched the urgent review after freed maniac Khan - who had served half of his sentence - launched his rampage
while wearing an electronic tag.
Harry Fletcher, ex-head of NAPO, the probation officers' union and director of the Victims’ Rights Campaign, said: “If Ahmed is released
his licence conditions must be stringent and restrictive.
Ahmed is doing all he can to convince the authorities he is a reformed man and is ready for release
A source
“All his electronic devices must be checked regularly and his movements be monitored in order to protect any potential victims.
“It is essential that when he is released his licence conditions ban him from going to the areas he planned to bomb.”
The Sun revealed earlier this year how bleating Ahmed moaned about prison bosses refusing to let him use his Walkman on human rights
grounds.
He complained even though he follows an extreme Islamist Sharia doctrine which pledges to destroy Western culture and bans all forms
of entertainment including music and dancing.
The terror plot planner had already cost the British taxpayer £800,000 in legal aid paid to lawyers fighting his failed bid to appeal against
his conviction.
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Anti-terror cops believed he was one of the most dangerous Islamic terrorists ever captured on British soil after discovering his close
links with Al-Qaeda’s top godfathers in Pakistan.
The Rochdale-born extremist was first arrested by Indian forces aged 18 accused of fighting for banned terror group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen in
the disputed Kashmir Region.
While held in an Indian jail Ahmed received money from fellow Briton Ahmed Omar Saeed, the terrorist sheikh who ordered the beheading on US
journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002.
Ahmed was released in 2001 and rose through Al Qaeda’s ranks before before returning to the UK in 2005
British intelligence revealed a diary found in Ahmed's luggage contained Al-Qaeda contacts, with details written in invisible ink.
The names included personal details of Abu Hamza Rabia, who was later killed in Pakistan in November 2005, during a US and Pakistani
anti-terror forces.
TERROR PLOTTER CAPTURED
In 2007 Ahmed was captured at London's Heathrow Airport on his return from another trip to Pakistan and charged with directing terrorism and
possessing three terrorist contact books and the explosive-tainted rucksack.
In December 2008 he was jailed for life with a recommendation that he served a minimum of ten years before he could be considered for parole.
But Sun inquiries revealed authorities have moved swiftly to prepare him for release since his minimum term was exceeded a year ago.
Ahmed began his sentence in maximum security Category A Frankland Prison in County Durham, which is one of Britain’s toughest jails.
He was caged alongside notorious killers such as Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe, Milly Dowler murderer Levi Bellfield and double
killer Michael Stone.
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But he was shifted to HMP Lowdham Grange in Notts, a Category B jail, after complaining of discrimination to prison authorities after his
Sony MP3 player was confiscated.
And he has now been moved to an even cushier nick - Category C Wymott Jail in Lancashire - alongside paedophile TV weatherman Fred Talbot.
The news comes as Boris Johnson revealed 74 people jailed for terror offences and released early will have their licence conditions
revised.
The Ministry of Justice launched the urgent review after convicted terrorist Khan, who had served half of his sentence, killed two people
in a knife attack at London Bridge on Friday.
A Parole Board spokesman told The Sun last night: "An oral hearing has been listed for the parole review of Rangzieb Ahmed and is scheduled
to take place in January 2020.
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“The job of the Parole Board is to determine if someone would represent a significant risk to the public after release.
“The panel will carefully look at a whole range of evidence, including details of the original evidence and any evidence of behaviour change.
“We do that with great care and public safety is our number one priority.”
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London Bridge terrorist Usman Khan speaks to BBC Midlands Today in 2008