A leading figure in “a close group of Islamic extremists based in north London” must be moved out of the capital to protect the public, the high court has ruled.
The dual British and Nigerian national, who is subject to a control order and can only be referred to as CD, has attempted to obtain firearms for a terrorist attack, according to security services.
CD was reported to have attended a training camp in Cumbria in 2004 organised by Mohammed Hamid, who was convicted of training terrorists for the unsuccessful 21 July 2005 London bombing.
He had also undertaken extremist training in Syria in late 2005 and returned to the UK in April 2009.
Mr Justice Simon backed the Home Office case that CD’s removal to an undisclosed address “in a Midland city” was necessary to prevent covert meetings with associates in London to plan attacks.
CD was served with a 12-month control order in February following government assertions that putting him on trial risked revealing intelligence sources. He had voluntarily left London but was still free to return whenever he wished.
Lisa Giovannetti QC, for the home secretary, said there had been several attempts to procure firearms from seven north-London-based criminal associates. CD had also shown “a very high level of security awareness”.
John Burton QC, for CD, said his client had not denied his extremist Islamist views or his association with Hamid but had not been arrested in relation to his attendance at the Cumbria training camp.
Burton said the London ban was having a “devastating” impact psychologically and physically and asked why it was necessary as CD was already subject to a large number of restrictions.
Rejecting the appeal, the judge said: “CD has a background and training which would lead to a justifiably held fear that he would engage in terrorist-related activity.”
That by itself did not justify his forced relocation but he had tried to obtain firearms for a terrorist attack, had held covert meetings and there were concerns over “his ability to evade the attentions of those who have a duty to prevent him putting his plans into effect”.
The judge said CD’s wife and two children were entitled to a travel allowance to visit him, but that did not mean such allowances should be made available in every relocation case.
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