Shah Rahman, who was imprisoned for plotting to b0mb the London Stock Exchange, has been permitted to stay in the UK on human rights grounds despite his asylum claim being denied, according to a court ruling.
Rahman, a citizen of Bangladesh, was one of four extremists found guilty in 2012 of planning t3rrorist att@cks motivated by al-Qaeda. The plot to target London’s financial district was thwarted by authorities before it could be executed.
After being released on a licence in 2017, he filed for asylum; however, his claim was denied under the Refugee Convention because of his involvement in crimes related to t3rrorism.
However, he was granted restricted leave to remain after a court ruled he could not be deported to Bangladesh without breaching his rights under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects individuals from torture or degrading treatment.
The details emerged during a legal case involving his wife, Parveen Purbhoo, a Mauritian citizen, who was seeking to challenge her exclusion from the UK.
Purbhoo married Rahman in London in 2019 and was later granted entry clearance after an initial refusal. However, she was stopped by immigration officers at Heathrow Airport in August 2021, where jihadist-related images and videos were found on her phone.
A police report presented in court stated: “She appeared very blasé about having them on her mobile. She could not remember where or how they got there. She admitted that she wanted to learn more about it and what it was and about the atrocities.”
Despite this, she was initially allowed into the UK and lived with Rahman until his recall to prison in 2022. He was later convicted for breaching notification requirements after failing to declare a mobile phone, email address and bank account.
The judgment noted: “Mr Rahman accepted before the parole board that he would use the illicit mobile phone to contact the applicant. In his witness statement in these proceedings, he accepts that he used the phone to have private video calls with her.”