Revealed: Keir Starmer’s under-fire Attorney General Lord Hermer fought for taxpayer funded compensation for 9/11 terrorist who sued MI5
Keir Starmer’s top legal adviser fought for taxpayer-funded compensation for a 9/11 terror attack plotter, the Mail can reveal.
Lord Hermer, now the Attorney General, represented Mustafa al-Hawsawi, who last year pleaded guilty to the murder of the 2,900 people massacred in America’s worst terror attack.
Al-Hawsawi launched a claim against the Ministry of Defence, MI5 and MI6, alleging that British spies were complicit in his ‘torture’ and ‘degrading’ treatment at the hands of the CIA.
The Al Qaeda operative adds to a long list of questionable clients the Attorney General has represented to bring cases against Britain, including jihadi bride Shamima Begum and Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams.
During Prime Minister’s Questions this week, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch questioned whether Lord Hermer believes ‘in our country and everything we stand for’.
Allies of Lord Hermer have defended him by pointing to the centuries-old ‘cab rank’ rule, a fundamental tenet of the English bar that requires barristers to accept cases within their area of expertise.
According to court documents seen by the Mail, Lord Hermer, then a private practising barrister, took up al-Hawsawi’s case in 2023 on behalf of human rights charity Redress.
The case presented to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), which hears complaints about the UK security services, stated the Saudi Arabian national, who has been held in Guantanamo Bay since 2006, wanted ‘compensation for the conduct of the UK agencies, including their role in Mr al-Hawsawi’s torture and ill-treatment’.
Lord Hermer, (pictured) now the Attorney General, represented Mustafa al-Hawsawi, who pleaded guilty to the murder of the 2,900 people massacred in America’s worst terror attack
Hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Centre and explodes at 9:03 a.m. on September 11, 2001 in New York City
Mustafa Al-Hawsawi (pictured) was captured in Pakistan in 2003 alongside Khaled Sheikh Mohammed, widely considered the architect of the 9/11 attack
The disclosure sparked fresh calls last night for Sir Keir to sack his good friend Lord Hermer, who was appointed last year.
Former Tory leadership contender Robert Jenrick said: ‘Every day Lord Hermer brings fresh shame on this Government. Starmer can either put the interests of the country first, or stand by his mate and donor.’
Tory MP Joe Robertson, a former lawyer, said: ‘Lord Hermer is out of touch. His position as Attorney General is untenable.
‘A human rights lawyer who built a career fighting the Government should not have been appointed its top legal adviser.
‘Keir Starmer’s political weakness and lack of judgment is plain to see, but if he refuses to sack his old friend Lord Hermer, it raises further doubts about his own fitness to lead the country.’
Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith added: ‘It’s time Keir Starmer saw him as a problem and decided that his time is up. He has become an embarrassment to the Labour Government.’
Al-Hawsawi was captured in Pakistan in 2003 alongside Khaled Sheikh Mohammed, widely considered the architect of the 9/11 attack.
The US government alleges that al-Hawsawi was a ‘senior Al Qaeda member who supported Al Qaeda’s terrorist network as a facilitator, financial manager, and media committee member’.
Prime Minister’s Questions this week, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch questioned whether Lord Hermer believes ‘in our country and everything we stand for’
Mr al-Hawsaw had been held in Guantanamo Bay since 2006, and wanted ‘compensation for the conduct of the UK agencies, including their role’ in his torture
Smoke billows from the top of One World Trade Center and flames and debris explode from Two World Trade Centre
It also alleged that he supported the movement and funding of the 9/11 hijackers, who seized planes and crashed them into the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.
Al-Hawsawi was held in detention in various places between 2003 and 2006, when he claims the alleged torture took place.
Court documents accuse the UK intelligence services of being complicit, ‘including by providing questions and/or information to US officials to be put to Mr al-Hawsawi during interrogations’.
Al-Hawsawi was charged in June 2008, along with Mohammed and three other men, with terrorism and murder offences.
Last summer, al-Hawsawi and Mohammed agreed to plead guilty to their involvement in the attack, including the murder of 2,900 people, in exchange for a guarantee that they would not face the death penalty.
However, the plea bargain was later vetoed.
The IPT hearing involving Lord Hermer in May 2023 was a preliminary hearing.
A full hearing is yet to take place and the case is ongoing after the tribunal concluded it would be ‘in the public interest’ to hear the case in full.
Lord Hermer stopped working for Redress and al-Hawsawi after being appointed Attorney General.
His spokesman said: ‘Law officers such as the Attorney General will naturally have an extensive legal background and may have previously been involved in a wide number of past cases.
‘Barristers do not associate themselves with their clients’ opinions.’
