In 2004, 'DD', a relative of one of the Madrid bombers, came to Britain from Libya with his Moroccan wife. He claimed asylum and has been in detention since 2005 awaiting deportation on security grounds. He set up an Islamic hatesite which praised martyrdom and is related to convicted and dead terrorists. The judges concluded that he is a "real and direct threat to the national security of the UK" and a "global jihadist with links to the Taliban and Al Qaeda".
A second man, 'AS', arrived in Britain in 2002 and immediately claimed asylum. AS is a "senior member" in a terrorist group thought to have planned attacks in Europe, and is "a clear danger to national security".
Open and shut case right? Deport them both back to Libya. Right? Wrong.
The court's chairman, Mr Justice Ouseraidley, ruled that their human rights could be breached if they were sent home to Libya, even though it was "not a probable risk", and that they could be denied a fair trial. Hence they will be freed to walk the streets.
Some two dozen suspects are currently being held awaiting removal. But a string of legal appeals has meant that none has been sent home. Not one. They are on our streets, probably bewildered and chuckling to themselves at the insanity of our legal system.
Home Secretary John Reid had tried to send the men home using a memorandum of understanding by which Colonel Gaddafi's government promised not to torture or kill them. But the Special Immigration Appeals Commission in London ruled that the Libyan government could not be trusted and blocked the deportation order, despite a mass of evidence of the threat they pose to national security. Similar arrangements with Libya, Jordan, Lebanon and Algeria will presumably have to be ripped up.
Most pathetic comment of the year from Tony Blair
"In order to be able to give a strong signal that those people cannot get away with what they want to do, we have to be able to deport people and send them back to their own country."
Listen dickhead - it's because of legislation that you, yourself signed in 1998 that we can no longer deport people who are determined to kill us.
Most stupid comment of the year from Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights group Liberty,
"The Government should concentrate on eradicating the practice of torture, not extracting incredible paper promises."
How, exactly, is the UK govt to influence torture practices in countries such as Libya, Shambles?
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