A terror suspect has fled Britain in the back of a lorry even though his passport was removed by the Home Secretary, it has emerged.
The 26-year-old man, who can only be referred to as CF, lived in Dartmouth Park, north London, close to the home of Labour leader Ed Miliband.
He has a long history of involvement with groups linked to al-Qaida and is thought to have been seeking to join the Islamic State (Isis), sources say.
CF had been placed under terrorism prevention and investigation measures, (Tpim) but the orders expire after two years and his was lifted in January this year. At that stage, Theresa May used her powers under the royal prerogative to remove the man’s passport and prevent him seeking to join terrorists abroad.
The man’s departure is likely to embarrass the Home Office and calls into question the effectiveness of the Tpim measures which the government is seeking to use on a more regular basis.
CF is thought to have hidden in the back of a lorry to reach Belgium, where he sought to obtain a forged British passport.
Yvette Cooper, shadow home secretary, said Labour had warned Theresa May that weakening counter terrorism powers would be a “serious mistake”.
“This is another example of the failure of her Tpims to keep track of terror suspects. Without Tpims, the Home Office said other arrangements would be in place to manage these suspects, but its clear they aren’t satisfactory.
“Theresa May took the decision to weaken these counter-terrorism powers – she must answer for the disappearance of this suspect, even when his passport has reportedly been removed. It’s not good enough,” Cooper said.
The disappearance of CF has emerged after another man who fled the country, while on bail for sectarian violence, has appeared in a video for the Pakistani Taliban. Mirza Ali, 38, a doctor from Chichester Wharf, Erith, Kent, was among 12 extremists sentenced to up to two years each in June after violence from Syria spilled on to the streets of central London during a demonstration calling for jihad.
Ali skipped bail and travelled to Croatia. From there, he was deported to Pakistan and has appeared in a recruitment video for terrorist group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat ul-Ahrar. He was jailed for 15 months in his absence.
Eight days after the first incident, ten of the group launched an attack on football fans drinking in a gay bar. One of the men involved in that fight – Abu Rahin Aziz, 32, from Luton who has two children – has also skipped bail and travelled to Syria through Amsterdam. He was jailed for 36 weeks in his absence.
CF is believed to be an associate of Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed, who fled from a mosque last November dressed in a burqa while under a Tpim.
He also knew Ibrahim Magag who escaped from a Tpim on Boxing Day 2012 after apparently jumping in a cab at Euston station in London.
CF has a history of involvement with terrorist groups dating back six years. In 2008 he allegedly attempted to travel to Afghanistan to fight “jihad” and engage in suicide operations alongside another man.
He was arrested and charged with seeking terrorism training overseas but while electronically tagged on bail, he absconded using a false Portuguese passport.
He travelled to Somalia in June 2009 where he allegedly attended a terrorist training camp and was involved in fighting alongside al-Shabaab, a group linked to al-Qaeda that was behind the Westgate Shopping Centre massacre.
From there, he is said to have provided advice on travelling to Somalia to others and attempted to recruit fighters in Britain to join them, including offering to help another man to travel to Somalia in 2010.
He was also engaged in seeking funds for al-Shabaab and may have been involved in planning attacks.
Shortly before his arrest, he was allegedly involved with Mohammed Mohamed’s plans to attack Western interests in Somaliland. Mohamed’s plans had included an attack on the Juba Hotel in Mogadishu in August 2010.
CF was arrested by Somaliland authorities alongside Mohammed Mohamed in Burao on January 14 2011 and detained in Hargeisa Prison for two months before being deported back to Britain where he was put under a TPIM.
In a High Court judgment, Lord Justice Lloyd Jones said CF had played a “substantial role” in the British network in Somalia and that his involvement was “undoubtedly real and substantial.”
“I am entirely satisfied that the Secretary of State was and remains reasonably entitled to hold a reasonable suspicion and a reasonable belief that CF had engaged in terrorism-related activity,” he added.
A man has been arrested and charged with trying to supply a false passport, money and a mobile phone to CF. Ali Said was arrested as he tried to board a EuroStar train to Brussels.
