Questions after raid pair release

BBC
Jun. 10, 2006

Questions are being asked about the way police and intelligence services handled an anti-terror raid in east London after the release of two men.

Brothers Abul Koyair, 20, and Mohammed Abdul Kahar, 23, who was shot in the raid, were freed without charge on Friday evening.

Both men had denied allegations of involvement in terrorism.

Met Police Authority member Murad Qureshi said mistakes were made, but police have defended the raid.

Officers are continuing their search for chemical materials elsewhere after finding nothing at the house in Lansdown Road, Forest Gate, since the raid on 2 June.

'Learn from mistakes'

The men, who had been held under the Terrorism Act 2000 and questioned on suspicion of terrorism involvement, were released shortly before 2030 BST on Friday.

Mr Qureshi, speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, said: "I think that there were a series of mistakes, which I think that the Met should learn from and they cover everything from the collecting of intelligence and how you collaborate that to the nature of the surveillance of suspects, through to how the suspects are actually dealt with."

Of particular concern, he said was "how we find ourselves with one of the brothers shot and quite a lot of the slander, quite honestly, which has been out in the press".

A Scotland Yard spokesman said after the release, that intelligence received by police "continues to be developed" and that the Met Police "will continue to exhaust all lines of inquiry".

Announcing the men's release the spokesman said: "We appreciate the police operation has caused inconvenience and disruption to the occupants of the house.

"We will be contacting the owners to make appropriate arrangements for the property to be handed back to them.

"We will also be undertaking appropriate restoration work in consultation with the owners."

'Family ecstatic'

Assad Rehman, who chairs the Newham monitoring project, welcomed the release of the two brothers, but said questions about the raid remained.

"We're very happy and the family are very very ecstatic that they have been vindicated and of course also the community has been vindicated.

"The concerns and the questions that we have had raised about the nature of the raid, the intelligence behind the raid and obviously the fact that the raid had impacted so negatively ... and once again we've seen none of those questions being answered."

Muslim Council of Britain secretary general Mohammed Abdul Bari told the BBC: "The community was very confused, they were perturbed and the young people some of them were angry.

"But it all depends on how the police act now. There is an issue of trust. The police have to work with the community to build this trust once again.

"It all goes back to the intelligence, and the police gave the reason for this massive raid, but the question the community raises is the genuineness of this intelligence."

Ex-Met Police Flying Squad Commander John O'Connor said he thought the raid was "very unprofessional".

Mr O'Connor told BBC Breakfast on Saturday: "If you're going to mount an operation like this, you want to have enough evidence to charge people with a criminal conspiracy ... You don't go in on the speculation that you might find the product."

BBC correspondent Andy Tighe said sources believe the original intelligence was credible and police are continuing their hunt for "some sort of chemical, home-made device".

In a statement issued after the brothers were freed, Home Secretary John Reid said police are acting in the "best interests of the whole community".

'Specific intelligence'

"They therefore deserve the support of the community in doing what is often a very hazardous and dangerous job that often involves difficult decisions."

Anti-terror police raided the house at Forest Gate last week after saying they received "specific intelligence" that a chemical device might be found there.

Scotland Yard later said they had "no choice" but to act while the prime minister said it was essential officers took action if they received "reasonable" intelligence suggesting a terror attack.

Tony Blair said he backed the police and security services 101% and he refused to be drawn on suggestions that the armed operation had been a failure.

But Muslim leaders had warned police could lose the trust of Forest Gate residents if the situation was not clarified.

Meanwhile Scotland Yard has confirmed it is involved in a joint anti-terror investigation with Swedish police. Three men were arrested as part of the operation during a raid in Malmoe.