A High Court judge has provoked widespread outrage after wishing convicted terrorist Haroon Aswat “all the best” as the self-confessed mastermind behind the 7/7 London bombings prepares to walk free from psychiatric detention.
Sir Robert Jay made the controversial remarks during a hearing at London’s Royal Courts of Justice, telling the 50-year-old al-Qaeda operative to “keep on your medication” and “keep out of the sort of things you were doing” as he approved arrangements for Aswat’s imminent release to Yorkshire. The comments have drawn fierce criticism from politicians and security experts who warn the terrorist remains a grave threat to national security.
Aswat, who served 20 years in a US prison for conspiring to establish a terrorist training camp in Oregon with radical preacher Abu Hamza, confessed whilst incarcerated to being a “mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks and a 2005 terrorist attack in the UK”, according to court documents obtained by The Sun. Despite these admissions and police warnings about his continued extremism, he is set to leave Bethlem Royal Hospital in South London to live with family in Batley, West Yorkshire.
Judge’s Controversial Comments
During the April hearing, Mr Justice Jay told Aswat: “I have to wish you all the best and say to you that the way forward is to keep on your medication, listen to the advice you are going to get, and keep out of the sort of things you were doing. Because you saw where it ended up and you do not want to go back to that, I am sure.”
The remarks have triggered a political firestorm. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick condemned the judge’s comments, stating: “Nobody should be wishing this evil terrorist ‘well’ and sympathising with their time in prison, least of all a High Court judge. Justice Jay should be ashamed of acting pally with a convicted terrorist.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage also criticised the remarks, whilst Dr Alan Mendoza of the Henry Jackson Society think tank described the decision to release Aswat as “for the birds”, warning he remains “an extremist with very dangerous views.
The High Court hearing marked Aswat’s first public appearance since his deportation to Britain in 2022. An exact release date has not been confirmed, though the judge indicated it would be in the “relatively near future”.
Links to 7/7 Atrocity
The 7 July 2005 bombings remain Britain’s deadliest terrorist attack, killing 52 innocent people and injuring over 700 when four suicide bombers detonated explosives on three London Underground trains and a double-decker bus during the morning rush hour. The coordinated attacks were carried out by British-born terrorists Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Hasib Hussain and Germaine Lindsay.
Aswat’s connection to the atrocity runs deep. In November 2004, just eight months before the bombings, he met with Khan and Tanweer in Pakistan. Police later traced 20 phone calls made by the 7/7 bombers to a phone connected to Aswat. He was arrested in Zambia shortly after the attacks whilst in possession of terrorist materials.
Khan, considered the ringleader of the 7/7 cell, detonated his bomb on the Edgware Road train, killing himself and six others. Tanweer killed seven people on the Circle Line between Liverpool Street and Aldgate. Hussain, just 18 years old, killed 13 people when he detonated his device on a Number 30 bus in Tavistock Square. Lindsay killed 26 people on the Piccadilly Line near Russell Square.
In martyrdom videos later broadcast by Al Jazeera, Khan declared he was “forsaking everything” for his beliefs and blamed British foreign policy for the attacks. Tanweer warned the bombings were “only the beginning of a string of attacks” unless Britain withdrew from Afghanistan and Iraq.
Terror Training Camp Plot
Aswat’s terrorist activities extend far beyond his connections to 7/7. He first became associated with firebrand radical Islamic preacher Abu Hamza at the Finsbury Park mosque in the mid-1990s. Together, they helped coordinate 200 UK-based men of Pakistani origin to engage in terrorism in the Jammu and Kashmir regions.
In 1999, Aswat worked with Hamza to establish a terrorist training camp in Oregon, which the US government described as intended “to train young impressionable men in America to fight and kill so that they could travel to Afghanistan to join forces with al-Qaeda. He travelled to Afghanistan in 2001 to receive training from al-Qaeda himself.
After his arrest in Zambia in 2005, Aswat fought extradition for nearly a decade before finally being sent to the United States in 2014. In 2015, he pleaded guilty in a New York court to terrorism offences and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, later reduced to account for time already served in UK custody.
Mental Health Detention Loophole
Upon completing his US sentence in 2022, Aswat was deported to Britain and immediately detained at Broadmoor Hospital under the Mental Health Act after being diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. He was later transferred to Bethlem Royal Hospital, historically known as Bedlam.
A critical security loophole has emerged because Aswat’s detention in psychiatric care rather than prison prevented authorities from conducting a formal terrorist risk assessment. Mr Justice Jay acknowledged in his ruling: “No formal terrorist risk assessment has been carried out since the defendant’s return here. The circumstances of his detention have precluded that.”
This regulatory gap means Aswat will be released without the comprehensive evaluation typically required for convicted terrorists. He will not be under surveillance or required to wear an electronic tag, though he must register his address and bank details with police and notify them of any foreign travel plans or vehicle registrations.
Grave Security Concerns
Multiple senior police officers have expressed serious concerns about Aswat’s release. Detective Chief Superintendent Gareth Rees, head of operations for the Metropolitan Police’s SO15 Counter Terrorism Command, stated he had “grave concerns about the risk which the defendant poses to the UK’s national security and to the public.
In a witness statement, DCS Rees noted that Aswat had spoken positively about his time with al-Qaeda and showed intentions to reconnect with the terrorist organisation. Detective Inspector Karen Bradley concluded that Aswat “still poses a potential terrorist risk” to national security.
Psychiatrist Dr Richard Taylor, who evaluated Aswat in 2022, found that he “continued to express violent extremist Islamic ideology” even when mentally stable. Dr Taylor’s report warned of ongoing risks of “Islamic violent extremism” and targeted terrorist behaviour “given his threats to kill Jews, Christians and certain groups of Muslims.
The psychiatrist also identified a risk of Aswat “influencing other vulnerable individuals, as when he is in an abnormal mental state his religious extremist rhetoric is amplified by mental illness”. Dr Taylor noted Aswat displayed traits of “glibness, superficial charm, charisma, intelligence and elements of manipulativeness and narcissism”.
Prison Confessions and Threats
Whilst incarcerated in the United States, Aswat reportedly made shocking confessions about his role in major terrorist attacks. Court documents reveal he claimed to be a mastermind behind both the 9/11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and the 7/7 London bombings.
In 2017, Aswat made remarks to prison staff in support of al-Qaeda and issued violent threats against them. When visited by a British psychiatrist in America before his deportation, Aswat declared bluntly: “I’m a terrorist.
Despite these admissions and continued expressions of extremist ideology, Mr Justice Jay ruled that Aswat’s treatment had been “effective” and his release from detention was expected soon. The judge acknowledged there was “evidence of an ongoing risk” but concluded that risk assessment for terrorist offending is “always inherently uncertain” and in Aswat’s case is “compounded by the mental instability of the defendant”.
Political Response
The decision to release Aswat has united politicians across party lines in condemnation. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick declared: “This despicable man was behind one of the most deadly attacks in modern history. He should never experience freedom again.”
Former Home Secretary Priti Patel expressed shock at the judge’s comments, whilst security experts warned that allowing Aswat to roam free represented an unacceptable risk to public safety. The Henry Jackson Society’s Dr Mendoza emphasised: “This is a man, let’s not forget, who was jailed ultimately for trying to set up a terrorist training camp in Oregon. The Americans got him, jailed him, he got deported here eventually to finish his sentence – now we expect him to behave normally?”
Limited Monitoring Arrangements
Under the notification order imposed by Mr Justice Jay, Aswat will face minimal restrictions upon release. He must register his address and bank details with police, notify authorities of foreign travel plans and vehicle registrations, but will not be under active surveillance or required to wear an electronic tag.
The arrangements have been criticised as wholly inadequate given the severity of Aswat’s crimes and ongoing extremist views. Security experts point out that similar notification orders have proven insufficient in preventing reoffending by other convicted terrorists.
A Government spokesperson responded to concerns, stating: “Protecting our national security is the very first priority of this Government and if any individual poses a threat to that security, the police and intelligence services have a range of powers they can apply to deal with that threat.
Legacy of 7/7
The 7 July 2005 bombings left an indelible scar on Britain’s collective memory. The coordinated attacks during the morning rush hour targeted ordinary commuters on their way to work, killing people from 18 different nationalities. The youngest victim was just 20 years old; the oldest was 60.
A memorial in Hyde Park, unveiled by the Prince of Wales in 2009, stands as a permanent reminder of the 52 innocent lives lost that day. Each of the 52 stainless steel pillars represents a unique life cut short by extremist violence.
For survivors and families of victims, news of Aswat’s impending release with a judge’s “best wishes” represents a profound injustice. Many have expressed disbelief that someone who confessed to masterminding the attacks could walk free after serving less than two decades in custody.
Uncertain Future
As Aswat prepares to leave psychiatric detention, questions remain about the adequacy of monitoring arrangements and the potential risk he poses to public safety. His case has exposed significant gaps in the system for managing terrorist offenders with mental health conditions.
The controversy surrounding Mr Justice Jay’s comments has also raised questions about judicial conduct and the appropriateness of expressing personal sentiments to convicted terrorists. Legal experts suggest the remarks, whilst unusual, do not constitute grounds for appeal or judicial review.
For now, Aswat will return to his family home in Batley, a town that has struggled with extremism issues in the past. Local authorities and police will face the challenge of monitoring someone whom senior counter-terrorism officers believe remains committed to violent extremist ideology.
The case serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges Britain faces in managing convicted terrorists, particularly those who claim mental health issues whilst continuing to express extremist views. As one security source noted grimly: “The victims of 7/7 received a life sentence. Their families continue to serve it. Aswat is about to walk free with a judge’s blessing.
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