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Convicted terrorist who plotted to bomb army base with toy car released from prison early despite expert warnings
Zahid Iqbal, part of an Al-Qaeda-inspired gang who plotted to bomb a British army base using a remote-controlled toy car loaded with explosives, has been released from prison three years early by the parole board despite warnings from experts that he remains a serious danger.
Zahid Iqbal, a convicted terrorist who was part of an Al-Qaeda-inspired gang that plotted to attack a British army base using a remote-controlled toy car loaded with explosives, has been released from prison three years early. GB News reports that the parole board approved his release despite strong objections from two experts who knew him, his prison offender manager and his community offender manager, both of whom warned he remains a serious danger.
Iqbal and his co-plotters were jailed in 2013 for 16 years after discussing their plans to attack a territorial army centre in Luton in chilling detail. The group drew from an Al-Qaeda manual titled Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mum to devise their attack plan. Iqbal had previously been recalled to prison after an earlier release, raising further questions about the decision to free him again.
Cross-party politicians have demanded that Iqbal remain in prison. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp wrote to Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy urging him to act. Lammy himself called the original parole decision legally irrational and requested a reconsideration. Despite this political pressure, the parole board has proceeded with the release.
Survivors of terrorist attacks have expressed fury at the decision. The case was first brought to public attention by GB News, which exposed the planned release and sparked the initial political response. The decision to free Iqbal early has reignited the debate about whether the parole system adequately considers national security risks when reviewing the cases of convicted terrorists.
The early release of convicted terrorists remains one of the most contentious issues in UK criminal justice. Critics argue that the parole board lacks the expertise and intelligence access needed to properly assess the ongoing threat posed by individuals convicted of terrorism offences. Supporters of the parole system maintain that all decisions are made following rigorous risk assessments, though in Iqbal's case even the professionals closest to his case recommended against release.