Shopping centre bomb plot terrorists freed from prison

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Two extremists have been released from prison after plotting a bombing campaign across the country.

In April 2007, five individuals, including Waheed Mahmood and Anthony Garcia, were sentenced to life in prison for conspiring to use a series of fertilizer-based explosives to murder hundreds of people. The al-Qaeda-affiliated group targeted gas and electrical supply stations, the Ministry of Sound nightclub in London, and the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent, reports the Mirror.

The Parole Board cleared 52-year-old Mahmood of Crawley, West Sussex, for release in September.

Simultaneously, the former boiler engineer for British Gas filed a High Court petition against the Met Police's request to place him under a Serious Crime Prevention Order. This would limit his movements, contacts and use of finances and technology, the orders aim to prevent terrorists and criminals from committing new crimes.

The married man with kids is already subject to strict licence conditions, such as giving up his passport, GPS tagging, lie detector testing, signing in with the police and a curfew. Non-contact conditions, exclusion zones, and letting the police inspect his house are further measures intended to deter crimes connected to extremism.

The conspiracy, which was thwarted by MI5, involved Mahmood, Garcia, Jawad Akbar, and Salahuddin Amin under the leadership of ringleader Omar Khyam. The gang's leader, Mahmood, dispatched others overseas to receive Jihad training.

Jailing the men after one of the biggest trials in UK criminal history, judge Sir Michael Astill told them: "You have betrayed this country that has given you every opportunity. All of you may never be released. It is not a foregone conclusion." Mahmood's callousness was laid bare in a conversation recorded in March 2004 by MI5.

A few days after the 2004 Madrid bombings, which killed 191 people, he was overheard saying: "Spain was a beautiful job weren't it? Absolutely beautiful, man, so much impact." On another occasion he talked about bombing the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent on a Saturday. He was heard saying: "I don't know how big it would be, we haven't tested it, but we could, tomorrow - do one tomorrow."

Additionally, Mahmood recommended setting up a burger van on a street corner and serving poisoned food. A Parole Board spokesperson confirmed that a panel had directed the release of Garcia and Mahmood, adding: "Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority."

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