Friday, April 01, 2016

Terrorists joked about Government's anti-extremism programme after police went to their home and left a card

Two British jihadis were on the radar of the Government's anti-extremism programme a year before they were arrested - but joked about it.

Junead and Shazib Khan mocked the Prevent programme after a police officer visited Junead's Luton home in 2014, their trial heard.

The pair used the WhatsApp instant messenger to discuss a May 14 visit from Bedfordshire Police, in which an officer left a card asking for Junead to call him.

Junead wrote to Shazib: 'They trying to stop me from becoming a (sic) extremist or terrorist. Lool. Left a card. They want me to call them on Monday.' Shazib replied 'that crack me up'

Junead Khan, pictured with an ISIS flag, joked about the Government's anti-extremism programme
He and his uncle are believed to have daubed messages mocking democracy around Luton
Junead Khan, pictured with an ISIS flag, joked about the Government's anti-extremism programme. He and his uncle are believed to have daubed messages mocking democracy around Luton

Junead later wrote: 'I ain't gonna fone them like they want me to. I think they suspect I might be wanting to travel to Syria, even though I don't want to right now.'

Shazib replied: 'lool', slang for 'laughing outrageously out loud'.

Kingston Crown Court heard that Junead then spoke with an officer from Prevent almost a week later, on May 20.

Afterwards Shazib sent him a message saying: 'What's pigs saying?'

Junead replied: 'Police are sayin nothin jus came to my house today sat down for 20 minutes ask me some propa off key questions... Hopefully the last I hear from them.'

Prevent is one of four strands of Contest, the acronym given to the long-standing counter-terrorism strategy, and has previously been at the centre of controversy.

A photo which appears to show an ISIS flag being waved outside the US Embassy was found on his phone
A photo which appears to show an ISIS flag being waved outside the US Embassy was found on his phone

At the beginning of March, David Anderson QC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said the programme was 'not transparent' and should be independently reviewed.

He said the programme had become a 'lightning conductor for a lot of dissatisfaction', saying: 'Nobody really knows what is going on under Prevent. 

There all sorts of myths swirling round about training materials being biased against Muslims, for example.'

Last year new measures were introduced to place a legal requirement on public bodies, including schools and councils, to stop people being drawn into terrorism, as part of efforts to counter the capacity of groups such as Islamic State (IS) to recruit young Britons.

Terrorists joked about Government's anti-extremism programme after police went to their home and left a card 

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