It beats most of this summer's blockbuster entertainments into pulp
A man has been found guilty of supplying London gangsters with sub-machineguns that have been linked to at least nine murders
More...
Bin Laden's general was given NINE British passports
Last updated at 22:52pm on 20.03.07
Nine passports: Dhiren Barot was convicted last year of conspiring to murder large numbers by blowing up gas cylinders and detonating a dirty bomb
An estimated 10,000 British passports were issued to fraudulent applicants last year by the Home Office
Home Secretary John Reid
An Al Qaeda fanatic was issued with nine British passports while plotting to murder thousands of people in a series of terrorist atrocities, it has emerged.
Muslim convert Dhiren Barot was among 10,000 terrorists and fraudsters who managed to slip through Home Office security checks to secure a travel document every year.
The shocking figure emerged after officials trawled back through a sample of old files to search for fraudulent applications.
They discovered around 16,500 applications made every year are fraudulent - of which 10,000 go undetected.
Last night, the Home Office was frantically sifting through all its old records to put a 'stop' on the passports.
The fact that Barot - considered Osama Bin Laden's 'UK general' until his conviction for plotting mass murder last year - is on the list is an acute embarrassment to the Government.
His trial heard the "vicious and utterly dedicated" terrorist - who was plotting a 'dirty' radioactive bomb attack on London - had regularly claimed to 'lose' his passport in order to cover his tracks. He did not want stamps on them from countries that might arouse suspicion.
But it has only now emerged the 34-year-old managed to successfully obtain nine different passports.
Seven were in his true identity, having
been repeatedly handed over by officials who accepted that his current passport had gone missing.
Alarmingly, a further two were obtained fraudulently, in false identities. The Home office admitted other terrorists were also on the list.
Another man, Moroccan national Salaheddine Benyaich, had two UK passports in the name of a British citizen born in Brighton.
He is currently serving 18 years in Morocco for terrorist offences.
Shadow Home Secretary David Davis, said: "It is outrageous that this Government managed to issue multiple genuine passports to convicted terrorists under false pretences.
"What is to say they won't issue genuine ID cards to terrorists or that terrorists will not use fraudulent passports to obtain genuine ID cards?
"Yet again we see the public continue to be put at risk by the consequences of the Government's failure."
Barot, of Willesden, North London, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to murder at Woolwich Crown Court last year and was sentenced to life with a recommendation that he serve 40 years.
For nearly a decade, the banker's son toured the world meeting Bin Laden and other Al Qaeda overlords to obtain backing for a series of terror attacks in the UK and the U.S.
He plotted to blow up hotels, railway stations and even a Tube train under the Thames.
When he was jailed, Mr Justice Butterfield called him a "danger to the public" who wanted to "wreak death and destruction on the Western world".
The Home Office released details of his passport history as they sought to justify the introduction of the new face-to-face passport interview.
Officials said Barot's fraudulent applications were among those which may have been rooted out - though the seven genuine applications are unlikely to have been blocked.
Prime Minister Tony Blair's official-spokesman said: "It isn't just a matter of saying there's 10,000 passports out there and doing nothing about them.
"Each and every one of these is being followed up to ensure that those responsible are caught."
In 2003 it emerged that the first Al Qaeda terrorists to be convicted in Britain - Algerians Baghdad Meziane and Brahim Benmerzouga - had false identities and fake passports.
The pair are now each serving 11 years in jail.
Reader views (2)
Here's a sample of the latest views published. You can click view all to read all views that readers have sent in.
Biometric documents (ID cards and passports) will work fine for organisations where everyone concerned is on the database and every point of transaction has equipment to read these biometric documents.
Nationally it is virtually impossible to satisfy both these conditions and hence these biometric systems will fail by making bad problems worse. For example criminals will be tempted to use fakes of these documents where there is no equipment to read them. So rather than deterring this system will boost identity fraud which will be even more complex to solve.
To deter use of forged or fake documents we should exploit personalised signature system where we apply ID sticker to the document and counter sign. ID sticker is a small sticker with person's image and name printed on them)
Current signature system is like passports without photos and that is why it is so difficult to deter and prosecute criminals plus deter use of forged and fake documents.
Banks fail to realise that personalised signatures will make transactions not protected by chip and PIN system reliable. For example personalised signatures on delivery notes will deter card not present fraud and similarly personalised signatures on their transactions like cheques, bankers' drafts, agreements, money withdrawal notes etc. will deter identity fraud. Personalised signatures on card slips will also deter use of stolen cards and use of cards by other members of the family.
- Yogesh Raja, Aylesbury
How can they issue passports with fake information? This government is a complete joke!
- Brandon Thomas, London UK
21°c
