Livingstone backs terrorist's Tube job

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Together: Mohammed Mostafa and father Abu Hamza at a Trafalgar Square rally. Mostafa worked on the Tube

Ken Livingstone today defended the right of Abu Hamza's son to work for a Tube contractor - despite his conviction for terrorism in Yemen.

Mohammed Kamel Mostafa, 25, from Wembley, was given a security pass and had access to restricted areas - including tunnels under Parliament - during his time as a labourer at nights and weekends on the Underground.

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But the Mayor said he doubted the veracity of any conviction from Yemen and said Mostafa had passed Tube security checks.

He said it was wrong to restrict his ability to work simply because he was the son of Abu Hamza. Mr Livingstone said: "Has he broken any laws here in Britain? The answer is no. We are happy to have him working for us.

"No one can be blamed for what their parents do. All we ask is that they respect the law of the land and do not hurt anyone."

He added: "In this country a person cannot be sacked for what their parents do. It is the actions of Mohammed Kamel Mostafa himself which are relevant. However, Mr Mostafa has convictions in Yemen.

"These must be taken into account. They should have been brought to light by those doing the security checks, the failure to do so must be investigated. As he failed to declare these to the subcontractor they are correct to dismiss him."

His extraordinary intervention came after Tube chiefs were accused of an appalling blunder after allowing Mostafa to work in restricted areas.

He was employed by a sub-contractor working for Tube Lines, the private sector consortia which looks after the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines.

The Jubilee line serves Westminster, the most politically sensitive station on the Underground and where security is supposed to be at its highest level.

Working as a labourer on the Jubilee line would have given Mostafa - jailed in Yemen in 1999 for plotting to kill Western tourists - access to the labyrinth of tunnels at Westminster and where the Tube runs virtually under Parliament.

Mostafa and his father were central figures at the Finsbury Park mosque when it was taken over by hardliners. Hamza, 48, is serving seven years for inciting murder and preaching racial hatred during sermons there.

Labour MP Andrew Dismore said today of Mostafa: "It beggars belief. It wasn't like he was nicked for shoplifting. It was terror offences in Yemen. You would think the Underground would be particularly sensitive to terrorism."

Questions are being asked over the Tube's security checks, which were supposed to have been increased following the 7/7 atrocities. Brian Cooke, chairman of the passenger watchdog TravelWatch, said: "It is surprising that LU does not appear to have greater control over the reference checks of people employed by contractors."

Mostafa was only stopped from working on the Tube when colleagues recognised him and informed bosses, who withdrew his pass. LU chiefs tried to play down Mostafa's employment, saying he was allowed to work because "he has no criminal convictions in the UK".

LU pointed out that he was not Tube staff but was employed by a "minor" sub-contractor. An LU spokesman said it was up to the contractor - which he refused to name - and not LU to make criminal checks.

The spokesman added: "The question of whether the checks were tight enough is a matter for the Government to address. We don't do criminal checks on every single individual who comes on to London Underground."

It was claimed that Mostafa had worked only for "a few weekends" on the network. Asked if LU checked the contractors to ensure they were carrying out the specified vetting procedures, the spokesman added: "There is an assumption that criminal checks are made." He said there were "spot checks" - but not as a regular and ongoing process.

The security blunder by the company was described as "appalling" by the father of one of the victims of the 7/7 bombings, in which 52 commuters were murdered. John Taylor, who lost his daughter Carrie, 24, in the attacks, said he was "shocked and stunned".

The security manager from Billericay said: "This man is a convicted terrorist and he has been allowed access to some of the most sensitive areas of the Tube."

Mostafa had previously attempted to forge a career in rap, with lyrics describing waging holy war and dying for Allah.

 

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