Islamic State teenage supporter planned to behead a soldier on an Anzac Day parade among 100 convicted terrorists
An ISIS supporter who planned to behead a soldier on an Anzac Day parade when he was just 14 is among convicted terrorists who could be freed soon.
He is among more than 100 convicted terrorists that could be freed in Britain – some as early as next month – after becoming eligible for parole.
Others that are set for a potential release include two childhood friends who were trained with weapons in Syria, a Londoner who downloaded terrorist manuals with assassination instructions and a man who tried to join ISIS to marry a 9-year-old girl.
Their chance of being freed comes after the release of the UK’s first al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist in February.
It emerged that Moinul Abedin, 47, who was jailed for 20 years in 2002 after collecting nearly 100kg of bomb-making chemicals in Birmingham, was released quietly after a parole hearing.
Abedin’s arrest and prosecution followed an MI5 surveillance operation in which he was given the codename ‘Pivoting Dancer,’ according to The Times.
The disclosure comes after the decision last week to raise Britain’s terror threat level to ‘severe’, which means that an attack is considered ‘likely’.
It also follows terrorist attacks in Paris and Vienna, with the attack in Austria involving a 20-year-old gunman who had been released early from prison after being jailed last year for trying to join ISIS abroad.
Police Chiefs in the UK are concerned the increased terrorist activity in Europe could embolden jihadists to strike in Britain, and the potential release of convicts is likely to stretch resources further.
The Anzac Day plotter – who is known by the initials RXG – is now 20 and became eligible for parole last month.
He is among a group of child offenders, like the killers of the toddler James Bulger, to be granted lifelong anonymity by the High Court.
RXG was jailed in October 2015 and ordered to serve a minimum of five years after he used social media and encrypted messages to incite Australian Sevdet Besim, 18, to behead police officers guarding an Anzac Day parade in Melbourne.
The plot was foiled and Besim as jailed for ten years.
According to The Times, a parole board was due to meet on Friday to discuss RXG’s petition for freedom, but the convict’s lawyer faced difficulty accessing his client.
The hearing is now expected to take place soon after December 2 – some time after the lockdown in England is set to be lifted, with a decision on his fate expected a week or two after.
Chances of RXG being released are high, according to court papers relating to RXG’s rehabilitation.
An assessment carried out in mid-2018 by forensic psychologist Dr Louise Bowers stated: ‘RXG appears to have left his ‘terrorist identity’ behind and he is well on the way to developing a new stable and pro-social identity.’
If denied parole, RXG would have to be moved to an adult prison where his supporters say he would be susceptible to ‘re-radicalisation’ and a deterioration of his mental health.
Despite turning 18 two years ago, he is currently in a young offenders institution, and he was diagnosed as autistic after his conviction.
If he is freed, RXG is likely to be heavily monitored and will face tough restrictions – such as being banned from using the internet – and if lawyers suspect others are aware of his links to terrorism, he could be given a new identity.
Many convicted terrorists must now serve at least two-thirds of their sentence before being considered for release by the parole board and in February, the government changed the law to prevent such people from being automatically freed.
Officials revealed over the weekend that 110 people have reached the two-thirds point and have been referred for parole by Justice Secretary, Robert Buckland.
Source: Daily Mail
