The British Government is launching a second attempt to deport an Afghan asylum seeker threatened with beheading by the Taliban.
Samim Bigzad was granted a dramatic reprieve last month when the pilot of a passenger plane due to remove him to Kabul refused to take off.
But relatives were informed this morning that the 22-year-old was being removed from the Brook House detention centre to be forced on another flight.
Mr Bigzad's cousin, Arash, told The Independent: "He said 'they are coming to take me back to the airport'. He was crying and then the phone cut off.
"I tried to call his number again and couldn't get through."
Relatives and campaigners were dismayed by the news, which came as Mr Bigzad's lawyer was preparing a new asylum claim.
His solicitor is attempting to halt the removal and campaigners were hoping to repeat efforts to alert the passengers and crew of the flight to the asylum seeker's presence on board.
But there were fears that short notice and limited information on the flight will make any move to stop it impossible.
Mr Bigzad's representatives believe he will be put on a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul from Gatwick Airport at 11.30am but have not had the details officially confirmed.
Mr Bigzad's initial application for protection was refused last year and was detained without warning during a routing immigration appointment in July.
He told The Independent he believes he will be killed if he is deported to Kabul, which he fled in 2015 to join his father and cousin in the UK.
“I escaped from my country because I was targeted by the Taliban and I am scared to go back,” he said. “I just need a chance for the Home Office to save my life.”
Mr Bigzad said he hoped to build a life in the UK, where he has been living in Margate, Kent, while learning English and acting as the primary carer for his father.
The elder Mr Bigzad, a British citizen, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder after being imprisoned and tortured by the Taliban two decades ago.
He previously applied to bring his son to the UK using asylum legislation in 2010 but was refused.
Mr Bigzad said he was threatened with beheading by Taliban militants who targeted him because of his work for a construction company that had contracts with the Afghan government and American military.
The Independent has seen evidence including contracts, tax returns and rental agreements the support Mr Bigzad's claims.
The Islamist insurgents have launched frequent attack on "puppets" accused of colluding with their enemies, amid a rise in conflict and terror attacks in Afghanistan.
Humanitarian organisations have appealed for the British Government to halt deportations to the country, where it announced it would be sending more troops to fight the Taliban earlier this year.
But Kabul has been ruled officially "safe" for returns after Theresa May won a legal battle as Home Secretary in the Court of Appeal.
Jonathan Bartley, co-leader of the Green Party, said: "Only a cold, cruel Government would push through this deportation.
"The Home Office could end up with blood on its hands if it sends Samim Bigzad to Afghanistan and I urge it to reconsider. After military involvement in the country for 13 years it is appalling that the Government would seek to wash its hands.
"We have a moral duty to offer refuge to those fleeing conflict and persecution in Afghanistan.”
The British Government forced 284 people back to the country last year despite the intensifying conflict and terror attacks linked to the Taliban, Isis and al-Qaeda.
