Terror suspects run up legal aid bills of hundreds of thousands of pounds to sue the Government... even though NONE of them are now in the UK
- Three terror suspects linked to ISIS murderer Jihadi John claimed legal aid
- Men believed to have claimed six-figure sum but are no longer in Britain
- Fled while under counter-terror control orders but still billed government
- One escaped disguised in a burka while another hid in a lorry at Dover
Terrorism
suspects linked to ISIS executioner Jihadi John have claimed hundreds
of thousands of pounds in legal aid even though they have fled the UK.
The
three men are connected to Londoner Mohammed Emwazi - believed to have
beheaded hostages including Britons Alan Henning and David Haines.
Mohammed
Ahmed Mohamed, Ibrahim Magag and a suspect who can only be referred to
as CF all billed the government for legal fees after escaping Britain
while under counter-terrorism control orders.
Mohammed
Ahmed Mohamed (left), Ibrahim Magag (right) and a suspect who can only
be referred to as CF all billed the government for legal fees after
fleeing Britain while under counter terrorism control orders
The
security services believe the men - along with Emwazi - were part of a
terror cell that funded and trained extremists in Somalia and Syria and
are linked to the militant network and ISIS ally al-Shabaab.
Despite
being under close observation by intelligence officers, Magag, who was a
Tube driver, has not been since getting into a taxi near Euston station
on Boxing Day 2012.
Mohamed
fled Britain in November 2013, walking into a mosque in west London
before escaping disguised as a Muslim woman wearing a burka.
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CF stowed himself away in the back of a lorry in Dover in November last year.
Because
each of the men challenged their surveillance orders in the courts
before fleeing the country, they could still claim for legal aid,
according to the Sunday Telegraph.
The
newspaper also reported that a fourth man, who can only be named as K2,
was also granted legal aid to sue Home Secretary Theresa May after he
was barred from entering the UK after going to Somalia.
Mohamed
(pictured) fled Britain in November 2013, walking into a mosque in west
London before escaping disguised as a Muslim woman wearing a burka
The
combined cost of the four cases is thought to spiral into the hundreds
of thousands of pounds, however the full amount is not yet known as some
of the proceedings are ongoing.
Mohamed
was due to stand trial for allegedly breaching his counter-terror order
- put in place because of his links to extremism in Africa - and could
have been jailed for 20 years if found guilty.
CF's
control order was also because evidence held by counter-terror police
linked him to a network of British Muslims in Somalia and Syria.
The three men are connected to ISIS executioner Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John
Both
men used their legal aid to fund British lawyers who won a court ruling
quashing their control orders, despite judges saying they were
'reluctant' to hear the cases because the pair were no longer in the UK.
Their
lawyers successfully argued that the men had not been told what charges
they were originally facing when handed the counter-terror
restrictions, so were not in a position to defend themselves.
Lord Justice Maurice Kay said the Court of Appeal judges considered not allowing Mohamed's case.
They
said: 'We did wonder whether his appeal should be stayed in these
circumstances. However, we were told that, although the legal aid
authorities had initially withdrawn his funding on being informed of the
position by his legal representatives, an adjudication subsequently
reinstated it.
'In
these circumstances, and in view of the fact that CF’s appeal would be
proceeding in any event, the [Home Secretary] decided not to invite us
to stay or dismiss Mohamed’s appeal. With some reluctance, we allowed it
to proceed.'
The
two men are also suing the government for £1million, claiming the
authorities played a role in their alleged torture when they were
arrested in Somalia and deported to the UK in 2011.
Magag
lost his taxpayer-funded legal battle over his control order but his
lawyer is still likely to claim tens of thousands of pounds.
Speaking
about the Mohammed and CF cases, a Ministry of Justice spokesman said:
'Legal aid was initially granted but has been stopped in this case. The
case is ongoing and final bills have not yet been received.'
The
spokesman added that both Magag and K2 received legal aid and that
final bills are not yet been received. Magag's case has finished but
K2's is still ongoing.
TERROR SUSPECT AND EXTREMIST PREACHER ALSO CLAIMED LEGAL AID
Extremist preacher Abu Qatada claimed £865,000 in legal aid before he was finally deported to Jordan in 2013.
He
fought efforts by Theresa May to deport him because he alleged that he
would face an unfair trial in the Middle Eastern country.
Qatada – once dubbed Osama Bin Laden’s right hand man in Europe – repeatedly used human rights laws to thwart his removal.
Extremist preacher Abu Qatada claimed £865,000 in legal aid before he was finally deported to Jordan
He
claimed his trial for plotting a terror attack would be unfair because
some of the evidence used against him may have been obtained by torture.
Over
eight years, Qatada’s lawyers pocketed £864,944 in legal aid. Of this,
the authorities managed to claw back only £217,286 by selling assets
belonging to the preacher.
Meanwhile terror suspect Tiger Hanif was given nearly £200,000 in legal fees to fight his extradition to India.
He
was wanted in connection with two bombings, the first of which killed
an eight-year-old girl near a school. In the second attack, a grenade
was thrown at a train leaving 38 injured.
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