Islamist terrorist linked to 7/7 London bombings free to roam streets after release from mental hospital

One of the terrorists linked to the 7/7 London bombings has been released back onto the streets following his release from a secure mental health unit.

Harron Aswat was jailed for 20 years for plotting to form an extremist training camp in 1999, and has been deemed a danger to national security by police.

A High Court judge ruled last year that the 50-year-old could be released from a south-east London mental hospital following the completion of his treatment.

The Telegraph claims that he has been released from the hospital despite multiple warnings.

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He is believed to be moving to Batley, West Yorkshire, to live with his family.

It is understood that he will be monitored by the Home Office, and there are restrictions in place for Aswat, with consequences should he breach them.

In 2015, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a New York judge for plotting an extremist training camp in Oregon before 9/11, following orders from Abu Hamza.

He was deported from the US to the UK in 2022. He was detained upon his arrival at Bethlem Royal Hospital under the Mental Health Act, a move that is understood to be spurred on by national security concerns.

In the US, he reportedly confessed to being involved in both the 9/11 and the 7/7 terrorist atrocities.

In 2005, police traced 20 calls to a phone linked with Aswat, which were made by the 7/7 bombers hours before the attacks.

Aswat has been diagnosed with a mental health disorder called schizoaffective disorder.

The symptoms present as unpredictable and aggressive behaviour.

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In 2022, a physiatrist said there was no evidence of him suffering from the disorder when the offenses were committed in Oregon in 1999.

The psychiatrist wrote in a report before he was brought to the UK: “Even when in a relatively stable mental state [Aswat] has continued to express violent extremist Islamic ideology.”

They added that Aswat was “highly ambivalent about the need for medication and had relapsed twice as a result of stopping treatment”, which coincided with violent outbursts.

The report concluded that “there remains the risk of Islamic violent extremism”.

The Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Philip, told The Telegraph: “It is staggering this man is being released. Aswat is a violent Islamist terrorist with serious mental health problems. He has been involved in plots that led to mass murder, and a psychiatrist concluded that he still espouses extremist views.

“Psychotic Islamist extremists like Aswat are an ongoing danger to the public and should not be released at all. If there is any basis upon which to deport him, then that would be a good alternative.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “Protecting the British public is the Government’s first priority. We have some of the most robust counter-terrorism measures in the world, including powers for police and intelligence services to monitor and manage the risk posed by terrorist offenders and criminals.

“We do not routinely comment on individual cases, but where individuals are released from detention, appropriate measures are in place to manage risk and ensure public safety.”

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