UK Counter-terror chief rejects proposal to allow jihadis to go to Islamic State if they surrender their British passports

“If you have a British citizen, why are you going to allow them to go somewhere where you think they are going to take part in murder and all sorts of awful acts? What about then coming back more trained, more angry, to this country? I think that’s completely unacceptable.” So says Mark Rowley, Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism chief. He seems to have missed the salient point, however: if they’ve surrendered their British passports, on what grounds would they be able to return to Britain? Or does the hopelessly dhimmi government of David Cameron now welcome any and all jihadists, passport or no?

Rowley does have a point, however, about not letting them go somewhere where they’re “going to take part in murder and all sorts of awful acts.” Yet since the British are doing nothing and don’t dare do anything to counter the belief system that leads them to take part in murder and all sorts of awful acts, they may simply decide to take part in murder and all sorts of awful acts right there on British soil.

“Counter-terrorism chief rejects British passport deal for would-be extremists,” by Vikram Dodd,Guardian, July 21, 2015:

Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism chief has dismissed the suggestion that those wanting to join Islamic State should be allowed to go in return for surrendering their British passports. Appearing before MPs on the home affairs committee, assistant commissioner Mark Rowley said extremists should not be allowed to leave Britain to join the terrorist group because they could return as hardened violent jihadists.

He was responding to the suggestion by Robert Quick, who served as Britain’s counter terrorism chief from 2008-09, that it may be better to have extremists surrender their passports rather than having them “fester” in Britain.

Quick told the Guardian a fortnight ago: “We should try and convince them not to go. If they want to go, you have to ask the question, are we better off, if they surrender their passports and go? It’s better than them festering away here. Should we say we’ll lay on charter flights to Syria; turn up with your passport and if you are over 18, if this is the life you want, then go?” But Rowley said he disagreed when questioned by MPs.

About 700 Britons have fled to join the “caliphate” declared by Isis, enforced by high levels of violence in Iraq and Syria.

Rowley said: “I think it’s the wrong idea. If you have a British citizen, why are you going to allow them to go somewhere where you think they are going to take part in murder and all sorts of awful acts? What about then coming back more trained, more angry, to this country? I think that’s completely unacceptable.”…