“Govt rushes to prevent release of terrorist who called for ‘year of fear

Whose bright idea was this early release program, anyway? The British government needs to do more than just evaluate this program. It needs to overhaul radically its entire counterterror approach and understanding of the problem of jihad itself.

“Govt rushes to prevent release of terrorist who called for ‘year of fear,'” by Mark White, Sky News, February 6, 2020:

A terrorist convict due for release within weeks called for a “year of fear” and posted comments saying there was “nothing wrong with chopping off heads of your enemies”.

Sky News can reveal that the government is so concerned about the upcoming automatic release of Mohammed Zahir Khan that it is rushing through its emergency sentencing legislation to prevent it.

The 42-year-old shopkeeper from Sunderland was arrested as part of Operation Seabee in May 2017 after he posted tweets and Facebook statements supporting Islamic State and seeking to encourage terrorist attacks.
CCTV shows Streatham attacker pass shop

Khan had previously been arrested in June 2014 for social media postings expressing hatred for Shias and the West, but on that occasion was convicted of non-terrorist offences.

On 4 December 2016, he published a statement on his Twitter account calling for “death to Shias” – a rival sect of Islam.

On 30 December, he tweeted a series of images, one of which appeared to show a person aiming a firearm with the words “The Lone Mujahid [fighter].”

The next day he replied to another user: “NOTHING wrong with chopping off heads of your enemies.”

On 2 January 2017 he published a statement on Twitter saying: “Welcome to the year of fear. IS will make this year the DEADLIEST EVER. Mr Kuffar [infidel] prepare for REAL WAR.”

Khan is the first of up to 20 terror prisoners due for release under automatic sentencing procedures in the next few months.

On Monday, the government promised to introduce emergency legislation to ensure those convicted of terror offences spend more time behind bars.

A Whitehall source has now confirmed that legislation will be introduced to parliament next Tuesday, with the specific aim of becoming law on 27 February, the day before Khan’s release….