- The father-of-four resigned from the force and is suing Scotland Yard for compensation
By Chris Greenwood
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A Scotland Yard police officer who spent three years in uniform before MI5 raised fears that he could be an Al Qaeda ‘sleeper’ agent is suing for compensation.
Abdul Rahman, 33, resigned after senior officers revoked his security clearance when they were told of the damaging suspicions.
Secret intelligence suggested he had attended a terrorist training camp in Pakistan before he was recruited to the force.
Discrimination case: Abdul Rahman as a Metropolitan Police constable
Now the father of four, who admits travelling to Pakistan but vehemently denies meeting terrorists, is claiming a five-figure sum for alleged discrimination.
But he has been unable to see the evidence against him because police and MI5 do not want to reveal their sensitive sources.
It is possible he was identified by an Al Qaeda supergrass who joined militants at camps on the lawless border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The case raises serious questions about how he became a policeman and was able to work for three years.
Mr Rahman, who was born in Bangladesh and became a British citizen aged nine, joined the Metropolitan Police in 2003.
The claims came to light three years later as MI5 and counter-terrorism detectives undertook a massive review of security following the July 2005 terrorist attacks.
Mr Rahman was questioned three times about his movements before his counter-terrorism clearance was suspended and he was put on restricted duties. He went off sick.
The next year a hearing chaired by Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, the then head of counter-terrorism, concluded he should be sacked, and he resigned a short time later.
Police officers without security clearance cannot do their job as they are unable to access the Police National Computer or other sensitive databases.
It is understood Mr Rahman said he attended a madrassah, a religious school, as a way of getting into technical college in Britain, but did not meet any terrorists.
No evidence was found against two colleagues who were also questioned.
Concerns: It is believed that at least two police officers have lost their jobs due to fears by MI5 that they may have trained as terrorists. MI5's headquarters in London is pictured
Some madrassahs in Pakistan have a reputation for attracting extremists and radicalising young Muslims. Shehzad Tanweer, the London suicide bomber, is said to have visited one in the months before the July 7 attacks in 2005.
Mr Rahman, who lives in Tower Hamlets, declined to discuss the case. His solicitor Jasmine van Loggerenberg said her client denies the allegations against him and has been left in a ‘ludicrous and inequitable’ situation by the secrecy around his case.
She said: ‘This case raises important issues on whether practices which disadvantage innocent people on the basis of their ethnic or religious background can ever be justified, when the allegations that result are so serious.’
Patrick Mercer, a Tory MP and expert on counter-terrorism, said he was astonished that Mr Rahman entered police ranks in the first place.
He said: ‘It seems extraordinary that an individual with this sort of background would even be entertained by the police.’
The Met confirmed that Mr Rahman is bringing an employment tribunal case for racial discrimination against the force.
Last month it emerged convicted terrorist Saajid Muhammad Badat, 33, was released from prison early after becoming a supergrass.
He was questioned by police and MI5 for days about his activities before he was given a reduced sentence in 2005. He was personally instructed by Osama bin Laden at terror camps in Pakistan and Afghanistan alongside his accomplice ‘shoe bomber’ Richard Reid.
MI5 carries out counter-terrorism vetting on behalf of the Met, other forces and the Government. Applicants must declare whether they have spent long periods of time outside Britain.
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They were probably employed in the first palce to meet diversity targets. In that great film THE FIRM, the head of security said, the time to be suspicious is when there is nothing to be suspicious about. That is truer than ever today.
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Why wasn't he arrested never mind asked to resign If he wins this case there really is no hope for this country and the Police Federation lawyers are backing him
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Kept out of mainstream news as usual. Well he resigned so how can he go after the Met regarding 'dismissal'. Oh , let's play the race and religious card - usual tack for some people. ALL officers of any armed force or police/fire service going to any country where terrrorists are likely to being trained should be checked, checked and checked again!!! Reason why no white policemen have not been included is because they have not been seen to have attended a country where terrorist training camps are being held. Not rocket science. This is not a race or religious issue - he should most definitely not get any compensation.
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As a foreign national how did he get accepted into the police force in the beginnig? I would expect all police officers in this country to be British by birth, to justify being an officer in the first place.I think MI5 should be applauded for doing the job they are paid to do; protecting this country. Well done. Let this be a lesson for them.
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Is anybody, other than the most blinkered, really surprised to find this out?
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'He is claiming to be the victim of racial and religious discrimination'. - He's sure to win then, regardless of anything else.
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What the politicians and senior officers will allow just to make sure that the Police have a nice ethnic mix. It used to be once upon a time that if your cousin twice removed had been in trouble with the police then it could affect your job application. Something is now drastically amiss.
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Better to be SAFE than SORRY.
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But is so PC, equal opportunities demand commonsense is not a consideration!
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We really are our own worst enemy.
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