Osama Bin Laden’s proper hand man could possibly be freed onto Britain’s streets

Two of the country’s most dangerous jailed terrorists could soon be back on the streets.

Rangzieb Ahmed, Osama Bin Laden’s former right-hand man, and Mohammed Zahir Khan, an Islamic State fanatic who has called for the death of Shia Muslims will both bid for their freedom next month.

The pair will appear in two separate parole boarding hearings held within the space of 24 hours.

Ahmed’s case will be heard on September 25 while Khan’s will take place the next following day.

Last night a leading terrorism expert urged officials not to free either of them.

Chris Phillips, the former head of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office said: ‘It’s madness to be considering this. Public safety will be at risk if either of these men are released. You have to question whether it will ever be safe for either of them to walk the streets again.’

The news comes as the Government prepares to release many criminals early in a bid to ease prison overcrowding.

The plans have sparked growing concerns for public safety.

And the fact that two of the country’s most dangerous terrorists could soon be back on the street will only further heighten fears.

Ahmed, 47, was once said to be the UK’s top al-Qaeda commander and Osama bin Laden’s right-hand man in Europe. He was the first ever person to be charged with directing terrorism in the UK.

The Rochdale-born terrorist was responsible for setting up a terrorist cell in Manchester and was in contact with one of the failed London Underground suicide bombers of 21 July 2005.

He moved to the Kashmir area of Pakistan as a young child and was arrested by the Indian authorities at the age of 18 for allegedly fighting as a member of the Islamist terror group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen.

Ahmed received money from British-Pakistani terrorist Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh while he was in jail.

He was put under surveillance when he moved back to the UK in 2005 and officials discovered a diary containing al-Qaeda contacts written in invisible ink.

Traces of explosives were also found on a rucksack in his possession and, in 2008, he was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of ten years.

Ahmed, 47, who has received some £1m in legal aid, was rejected for parole in September 2022 after officials judged that he was too dangerous to be let out of prison.

He has a hearing listed for the 25 September at which he is expected to argue that he is a reformed character.

Mohammed Zahir Khan, 45, was managing a shop in Sunderland when he was arrested after posting his support for the terror group Islamic State on social media.

He also called for the death of Shia Muslims and was convicted in Newcastle Crown Court in May 2018 of stirring racial hatred and encouraging terrorism.

Khan, originally from Birmingham, claimed Shia Muslims should be burnt alive and posted about an ISIS call for attacks on US bases in Bahrain.

Police found ISIS videos on his computer and he was jailed for four-and-a-half years after admitting the charges.

In 2020, he won the first round of a legal challenge to emergency legislation that prevented the automatic early release of terrorism offenders.

His attempt to overturn the ban was eventually thrown out by the High Court in July 2020.

The legislation had been introduced following two terror attacks by released terrorism offenders.

In 2019, Usman Khan, who had been released halfway through his 16-year sentence, killed Saskia Jones and Jack Merritt before being shot dead on London Bridge.

In February 2020, Suddesh Amman attacked and stabbed people in south London just a few days after being released from prison.

The High Court judges, however, said that the changes had been a logical and rational response to prevent further attacks.

The ruling meant that some 50 prisoners were kept in jail for longer.

His hearing will be held a day later, on 26 September.

A Parole Board spokesperson said: ‘An oral hearing has been listed for the parole review of Mohammed Zahir Khan and is scheduled to take place in September 2024.

‘Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.

‘A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.

‘Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead up to an oral hearing.

‘Evidence from witnesses including probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements are then given at the hearing.

‘The prisoner and witnesses are then questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more.

‘Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.’