A man who once boasted about his involvement in orchestrating the 9/11 terror attacks alongside Osama bin Laden may walk free from a British prison facility within days, even though authorities have labeled him a threat to public safety.
Haroon Aswat, who played a key role in establishing an al-Qaeda training base in the United States, is nearing the end of his psychiatric treatment at a secure mental health institution in the UK and is poised for release, according to The Sun.
His impending freedom has caused widespread outrage due to a loophole in the UK’s Mental Health Act that allows him to be released without a comprehensive risk evaluation.
“This despicable man was behind one of the most deadly attacks in modern history. He should never experience freedom again,” said Robert Jenrick, the country’s shadow justice secretary.
Aswat, who has long been linked to bin Laden, was handed a 20-year prison sentence by a US court in 2015 after admitting he tried to launch an al-Qaeda training site in Oregon.
During his incarceration in the United States, he allegedly claimed a role in planning both the September 11 attacks, which took thousands of lives in New York, and the 2005 bombings in the UK that killed 52 people.
“In March 2017 the defendant stated, ‘if you think I am a terrorist, I don’t shy away from my responsibility’ and also stated he was a mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks and a 2005 terrorist attack in the UK,” the court papers stated.
In 2022, he was returned to the UK following a prison visit by a psychiatrist from Britain.
Even though counterterrorism authorities in the UK evaluated Aswat and warned that he still poses a danger, a judge has ruled that his release under mental health provisions could happen in the “relatively near future.”
Once released, Aswat will only be required to follow a notification order, obligating him to report his home address and inform law enforcement about any planned travel.
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