Living Costs for UK Terror Suspects Top $1M

House arrest program for dangerous extremists under fire

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 17, 2009 2:30 AM CST

(Newser) – Terror suspects have been paid over $1 million in living expenses in the last two years under a controversial British program that keeps them under virtual house arrest. The suspects—who security services say pose a threat, but who can't be prosecuted because evidence against them is too sensitive to disclose in court—have received funds for accommodations, phone bills, and other expenses on top of welfare payments, the Telegraph reports.

Opposition lawmakers say the sums paid out for living expenses are one of many reasons why the program, which currently includes 13 suspects, should be scrapped. The system "denies due process to the defendant, does not provide a reliable remedy to the security problem posed by terrorist suspects, and on top of all that costs hundreds of thousands of pounds," complained a Conservative politician said.

[Images (1)]

[Quotes (1)]

Two British police officers stand outside the Finsbury Park Mosque in London after a counter-terrorism raid in which 7 people were arrested. (Getty Images)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

It wouldn’t surprise me to learn we had been renting DVDs for them as well. - Patrick Mercer, chairman of a Parliament subcommittee on counterterrorism

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Brit Terror Suspects Targeted Holiday Shoppers

Arrests 'absolutely necessary': police

(NEWSER) - The 12 men arrested yesterday across Britain sought to attack holiday shoppers in multi-city, synchronized bombings. The raids marked the first discovery of an alleged terrorist plot by people of Bangladeshi origin, the Independent notes. Bangladesh has become a terror training site since travelers to Pakistan began facing tighter security. The arrests weren’t connected to recent Stockholm bombings or intelligence on planned Mumbai-style attacks, insiders said. More»

Brits Warned of 'New Wave of Terror'

Militants from different nations appear to be joining forces

(NEWSER) - Britain should brace for a "new wave of terror" as the threat from both dissident Irish Republicans and Islamic radicals rises, the chief of the MI5 security agency warns. Militant Irish groups—one of which has threatened to blow up banks in Britain and Ireland—are showing worrying "signs of co-ordination and co-operation," and acquiring more sophisticated weapons, says Jonathan Evans. More»

Brits Missed Chances to Nab Leader of London Attacks

But he was never called a threat: report

(NEWSER) - UK authorities crossed paths with the top planner of the 2005 London bombings six times, but never labeled him a threat, a parliamentary report out today concludes. Almost every time Mohammad Sidique Khan appeared on police and MI5 records, it was in connection with possible extremists, the Guardian reports. But investigators said they couldn’t “criticize the judgments” authorities made in the past, given information available and officials’ priorities at the time. More»

Suspects in Brit Terror Raids Freed for Lack of Evidence

Government seeks to deport men busted in touted sweep

(NEWSER) - Nine of the 11 suspects arrested in Britain's terror raids earlier this month have been released without charge due to lack of evidence, the Telegraph reports. The release of the remaining two is expected soon. The government is seeking to deport the men—suspected of being involved in what Prime Minister Gordon Brown labeled "a very big terrorist plot"—on grounds of national security. More»

UK Terror Busts Thwarted Big Easter Attack: Cops

Investigators probing Pakistani extremists' links to al-Qaeda

(NEWSER) - Britain's arrest of a dozen terror suspects this week—nearly overshadowed by the public blunder and subsequent resignation of a top terror official—is believed to have foiled a major plot to bomb Easter shoppers, sources tell the Daily Telegraph. The suspects, mostly Pakistani nationals in the UK on student visas, received orders from al-Qaeda and had smuggled bomb-making equipment into the country, said investigators. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Living Costs for UK Terror Suspects Top $1M