Convicted Terrorist Allowed to Remain in UK Despite Rejected Asylum Claim

A man convicted in 2012 of plotting to bomb the London Stock Exchange, along with three others, was allowed to remain in Britain despite his asylum claim being rejected. Shah Rahman served a prison sentence and was released in 2017. He was later recalled to prison in 2022 for breaching license conditions.

The details emerged in an immigration judgement related to his wife, Parveen Purbhoo, a Mauritian national. Rahman married Purbhoo in 2019 in an Islamic ceremony in London. Purbhoo was permanently excluded from Britain after authorities discovered material related to ISIS on her phone.

submitted an asylum application shortly after his 2017 release, which was denied under Article 51 of the Refugee Convention. This provision allows rejection of refugee status for individuals convicted of serious crimes, including terrorist acts. Despite the rejection, a judge determined that deporting him would violate his human rights, specifically the right to be free from torture, inhuman, or degrading treatment.

Purbhoo applied for entry to Britain following the 2019 ceremony at the East London Mosque. Her initial application was denied, but a subsequent one was approved. She returned to Britain in August 2021 to formalize the marriage in a civil ceremony.

arrival at Heathrow Airport in 2021, border officers searched Purbhoo's phone and found videos and images featuring ISIS soldiers and propaganda. She was initially allowed entry and lived with Rahman until his 2022 recall to prison. Rahman was recalled for failing to notify probation services about a bank account, email address, and phone.

A parole board report indicated Purbhoo was complicit in Rahman's breaches. On Monday, a judgement denied Purbhoo the right to appeal her permanent exclusion from Britain. The ruling stated that she had not explained the presence of the Islamist material and was assessed as a national security risk.

The case also referenced her exclusion by the then-Home Secretary Suella Braverman after the phone search. This situation underscores ongoing challenges in balancing security, human rights, and immigration enforcement in the UK.