4 November 2013
Last updated at 09:07 ET
We need to know why this should happen twice in 10 months”, says Yvette Cooper
Labour is urging the government to explain how a terror suspect under surveillance went missing after changing into a burka at a mosque.
Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed, 27, who was subject to an order restricting his movements, was last seen leaving the site in Acton, west London, on Friday.
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper described the situation as “extremely serious”.
Home Secretary Theresa May will make a statement in the Commons at 15:30 GMT.
CCTV images show Somali-born Mr Mohamed, who is said to now be a UK citizen, leaving the mosque with his face fully covered.
Police say Mr Mohamed, who has been linked to the Somali militant group al-Shabab, should not be approached but do not believe he poses a direct threat.
He was subject to a terrorism prevention and investigation measures (TPim) notice, which is aimed at protecting the public from people the home secretary believes to have engaged in terrorism-related activity but who it is not deemed feasible to prosecute or deport.
The Home Office would not confirm what had happened to the GPS tag he would have been issued with as part of the order.
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Analysis
The TPims system is under intense scrutiny on several fronts.
The disappearance of Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed raises questions as to whether the regime, dubbed “control orders-lite”, is in fact too light.
Mohamed is the second suspect to abscond. On Boxing Day 2012, Ibrahim Magag vanished after reportedly hiring a black cab. He has not been seen since.
There are also doubts about the robustness of the electronic tags that suspects have to wear.
Last week, prosecutions against three men, accused of tampering with their tags, were dropped when it emerged they may have inadvertently come loose.
Then there’s the wider question: How will police and MI5 monitor suspects when their TPims expire after the maximum two years?
Ms Cooper said: “Clearly police and security agencies will be doing everything possible to locate this terror suspect and ensure public safety.
“The home secretary also needs to provide information about the decisions made over Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed’s TPim, how he was able to abscond and what the risks to the public are.”
She called for the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, David Anderson, to “investigate urgently what has happened and the adequacy of the controls and powers in this case”.
Mr Mohamed arrived at the An-Noor Masjid and Community Centre, in Church Road, Acton, at approximately 10:00 GMT on Friday, and was seen inside at 15:15 GMT.
CCTV images issued by Scotland Yard showed him arriving wearing a jacket and trousers and then leaving the mosque in the burka. He is 5ft 8in tall and of medium build.
The Metropolitan Police advised anyone who saw Mr Mohamed not to approach him and to call 999.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “The Counter Terrorism Command immediately launched inquiries to trace Mr Mohamed and these continue.
“Ports and borders were notified with his photograph and details circulated nationally. Public safety remains our priority.”
Security minister James Brokenshire said: “National security is the government’s top priority and the police are doing everything in their power to apprehend this man as quickly as possible.
“The police and security services do not believe that this man poses a direct threat to the public in the UK.
“The home secretary, on police advice, applied to the High Court for an order protecting anonymity to be lifted in order to assist with their investigation.”
Lib Dem peer Lord Carlile, the former reviewer of anti-terror laws, said: “We were assured by the government that extra money would be spent on surveillance to ensure that exactly this kind of event did not occur.
“Yet the person concerned was able to walk in the front door of a mosque as a man and out through another door as a woman, on CCTV which was not seen, apparently, by the authorities.”
The court-approved Tpim orders include a requirement that their subjects report daily to the authorities, stay overnight at a specified address, wear a GPS tag, and face restrictions on travel, movement, association and communication.
They were introduced in January 2012 to replace control orders, which had been in place for seven years and also included the power to relocate suspects.
A court-imposed anonymity order banning the publication of Mr Mohamed’s name was lifted on Saturday to allow police to make a public appeal for information.
When the TPims order was obtained, Mr Mohamed was said to have received terrorist training in Somalia and fought on the front line in support of al-Shabab.
Court documents also say he supported a UK-based network supporting terrorist-related activity in Somalia and had been involved in attack planning against Western interests in east Africa.
Last December, Ibrahim Magag, who was subject to a TPim control measure, went missing in north London and has still not been found.
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Labour seeks terror suspect answers
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