British terrorist, Khuram Iqbal, who was denied parole, has been released from prison just two months later at the end of his sentence. Iqbal, who referred to himself as the “father of terrorism,” was rejected for release by the Parole Board in October 2022, but was allowed to leave prison in December of the same year.
Current regulations allow for the release of convicted terrorists like Iqbal who are serving a fixed-term sentence and have demonstrated good behaviour in jail.
In Iqbal’s case, these restrictions are likely to be limited to a police notification order, which requires those convicted of terror charges with sentences of more than 12 months to notify the police of acts such as unauthorised travel, according to MailOnline.
This injunction, which was issued to Iqbal in 2014, would expire next year unless prolonged.
The Home Office, which does not comment on individual cases, has not revealed if Iqbal has been subjected to any further restrictions.
READ MORE: North Korea tests new cruise missile ‘able to hit Japan’
Personal information such as home address, date of birth, national insurance number, vehicle data, and bank account details are typical categories covered by the police notification order.
The modest surveillance and limits imposed on Iqbal may be problematic, given his previous readiness to travel and join outlawed groups, as well as propagate violent and radical Jihadi ideology.
In 2014, at the age of 21, Iqbal was sentenced to three years and three months in prison for disseminating terrorist publications and possessing terrorist information.
He was released on licence in May 2015, but was imprisoned in 2016 for failing to declare two bitcoin accounts to authorities, in violation of a ten-year notification order.
A Parole Board representative stated that a panel had declined Iqbal’s parole during an oral hearing.
According to the spokesperson, Parole Board decisions are completely based on assessing the risk a prisoner may pose to the public upon release and whether that risk can be properly managed in the community.
He was released on licence in May 2015 but recalled to jail in 2016 for breaching a ten-year notification order by failing to tell police about two cryptocurrency accounts.
In December 2021, he pleaded guilty to four breaches between July 2019 and August 2021 and was sentenced to a further 16 months in prison.
In October 2022, the Parole Board rejected Iqbal’s parole application.
A spokesman for the Parole Board told MailOnline: “We can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board refused the release of Khuram Iqbal following an oral hearing.
“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.
The spokesperson added: “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 such as probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements may be given at the hearing.
“It is standard for the prisoner and witnesses to be 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.”
