London proposes ban on 15 Muslim bodies: Pakistani groups included in list
LONDON, Oct 10: The British government on Monday published a list of 15 alleged ‘terror’ groups it has asked parliament to ban as part of a crackdown following the July bombings in London.
Home Secretary Charles Clarke laid a draft order in parliament under the Terrorism Act 2000 to proscribe the organizations which are ‘concerned in terrorism’, his office said in a statement.
The Home Office said it will be subject to approval by both houses of parliament, which resumed debate on Monday after their 80-day summer recess, and will be debated by members of parliament and peers later this week.
“Recent events in London and elsewhere in the world have shown all too clearly that the threat posed by global terrorism has not gone away,” Clarke said in the statement.
The bombings of July 7, which killed 52 innocent commuters in London, and a similar but botched repeat attack two weeks later point up ‘the need to maintain a vigorous approach to dealing with terrorists and their supporters’, he said.
“The United Kingdom is committed to playing a leading role in the international campaign against terrorism and sending the clear message that we are not prepared to tolerate terrorism here or anywhere in the world,” he said.
“The list of proscribed organizations is kept under constant review and, after careful consideration of all the relevant factors, I am satisfied that these groups should now be added to it,” he said.
The groups are Al-Ittihad Al-Islamia, Ansar Al-Islam, Ansar Al-Sunna, Groupe Islamique Combattant Marocain, Harakat-ul-Jihad-ul-Islami, Harakat-ul-Jihad-ul-Islami (Bangladesh), Harakat-ul-Mujahideen/Alami, Hezb-i- Islami Gulbuddin, Islamic Jihad Union, Jamaat-ul-Furquan Jundallah, Khuddam ul-Islam, Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, and Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan.
The Home Office statement said the Terrorism Bill, to be published shortly, would also amend the Terrorism Act 2000 to allow the proscription of organizations which glorify terrorism.
It would also deal with proscribed organizations which change their names in an attempt to evade the law, by continuing the ban to the renamed organization.
There are already 25 international organizations proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000, and 14 organizations involved in terrorism in Northern Ireland proscribed under previous legislation.—AFP
