Terrorists are ‘pretending to sleep’ to avoid being deradicalised

Convicted terrorists are pretending to sleep, wear headphones or take long toilet breaks to avoid deradicalisation programmes.

In his annual report, lawyer Jonathan Hall, the UK’s independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said there were “significant” concerns about the effectiveness of disengagement schemes.

In November 2019, Usman Khan, 28, killed two people near London Bridge after attending a Desistance and Disengagement Programme. He had been released early from prison after being convicted of plotting to bomb the London Stock Exchange.

“Compulsory attendance does not necessarily lead to beneficial engagement,” Mr Hall said.

“Disruptive behaviour or deliberate disengagement during mentoring (both practical and theological) is, I am informed, a significant problem.

“The more extreme examples include pretending to sleep, wearing headphones or taking long toilet breaks.”

The programmes began in 2016 to reduce the risk posed by people convicted of terrorism offences.

Mr Hall said one reason for the lack of engagement could be an ongoing court case involving a defendant known as QX who has been accused of playing chess and reading books during his sessions.

He said the defendant claimed that anything he said during mentoring sessions could be used against him in court.

Mr Hall also called into question the effectiveness of the UK’s deradicalisation initiatives, Prevent and Channel.

A new independent reviewer, William Shawcross, was appointed to examine the effectiveness of the Prevent strategy in January.

The British government said his report is to be submitted in September to the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, who intends to respond to it by the end of the year.

“The review will consider the past and present delivery and impact of Prevent and make recommendations for future improvements to the strategy for supporting people vulnerable to being drawn into terrorism,” the Home Office said.

Mr Hall also proposed powers for the police to demand that a person suspected of involvement in terrorism provide their device passwords or face a long jail term.

“I recommend that consideration is given by the Home Secretary as to whether new or amended powers are needed for police to compel encryption keys in counter-terrorism investigations,” he said.