The British government can’t strip an Egyptian extremist of refugee status despite his links to the murder of a leading anti-Taliban commander two days before the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001, a UK court ruled.
Judges this week rebuffed Home Secretary Priti Patel’s efforts to cut the UK residency rights of Yasser Al Siri, who faces the death penalty in his native Egypt but has lived in Britain since claiming asylum in 1994.
The removal of his refugee status would have ended Mr Al Siri’s right to an unlimited stay in the UK, where he has been labelled a threat to national security because of his support for extremist groups including ISIS and Al Qaeda.
Ms Patel wanted him to have renewable six-month stay in the UK with Mr Al Siri needing her permission if he wanted to move house, get a job or embark on a course. But the three judges ruled against Ms Patel allowing Mr Al Siri to remain indefinitely.
“It is clear why Yasser Al Siri does not want to return to Egypt. Yet it is equally clear why the UK government considers him a national security threat,” said Robin Simcox, director of the UK-based Counter Extremism Group.
“Al Siri has been linked to proscribed terrorist groups for many years and continues to espouse violent Islamist views today.”
The National revealed last year that Mr Al Siri's presence in Britain has been an irritant in the relationship between the two countries dating back to the 1990-1997 administration of former prime minister John Major.
Mr Al Siri was convicted in his absence in Egypt in 1994 for his alleged involvement in a failed bombing targeting then-prime minister Atef Sidqi. Five years later, Mr Al Siri was sentenced to 15 years in prison for membership of a banned organisation.
He was charged with conspiracy to murder in the UK after writing a letter of introduction used by two suicide bombers, pretending to be journalists, to trick their way in to see Gen Ahmad Shah Masoud, the leader of the Northern Alliance, in September 2001.
Gen Masoud was thought to have been killed on the direct orders of Osama bin Laden immediately before the attacks on Washington and New York as he represented the most effective ally if the West launched retaliatory attacks on the Taliban.
But a British judge threw out the case as it was not clear if Mr Al Siri knew of the intention to kill the Northern Alliance leader.
Subsequent immigration tribunals questioned whether he was “innocently duped” by the suicide bombers who tampered with his letter.
The Egyptian also successfully avoided extradition to the US to face terrorist funding accusations.
But the UK government continued to pursue Mr Al Siri after he set up an organisation called the Islamic Observation Centre that promoted Islamist groups. Mr Al Siri was pictured in 2008 with Abu Qatada, the extremist preacher described by officials as the spiritual leader of Al Qaeda.
His work included publishing 2,000 copies of a book, with a foreword by Mr Al Siri that espoused the killing of Jews and social media posts with pictures of ISIS suicide bombers in Libya.
He also expressed support for the ‘Blind Sheikh’ Omar Abdel Rahman, who was convicted of conspiracy in the US in relation to the 1993 World Trade Centre bombing that killed six people. He died in 2017.
Mr Al Siri said on social media in December 2017 that Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi should “end up” like Colonel Muammar Qaddafi, who was killed after he was found hiding in a tunnel.
But judges said that new claims of extremism by Ms Patel’s department did not affect the earlier decision to give him refugee status.
The core principle at the heart of the UN’s Refugee Convention is the principle that a person fleeing their country should not be returned if they face serious threats to their life or freedom.
The principle can be revoked if there are “reasonable grounds for considering they are a danger to the national security of the host state”.
Mr Al Siri’s lawyers said the ruling found that there “is no basis for regarding him as a danger to the UK’s security such as would justify denying him the protection of refugee status”.
A Home Office spokesperson said it was disappointed with the judgment and was "carefully considering our next steps".
HOW DO SIM CARD SCAMS WORK?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards, often by claiming their phone has been lost or stolen
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
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Price, base: Dh399,999
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Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
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Torque: 875Nm @ 4,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 16.8L / 100km (estimate)
PSG's line up
GK: Alphonse Areola (youth academy)
Defence - RB: Dani Alves (free transfer); CB: Marquinhos (€31.4 million); CB: Thiago Silva (€42m); LB: Layvin Kurzawa (€23m)
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Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
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Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
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While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
