Latest news with #Iraqi-born
Daily Tribune
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Tribune
UK Moves to Strip Citizenship from Terror Suspects
UK Home Secretary Theresa May introduced a last-minute amendment to the Immigration Bill in Parliament that would allow the government to strip naturalised British citizens of their nationality if they are suspected of being involved in terrorism — even if that leaves them stateless. The amendment targets individuals whose actions are deemed to pose a "serious threat to the UK's vital interests." Under current law, the Home Secretary already has the power to revoke citizenship from dual nationals. However, this new proposal extends that power to those born overseas who hold only British citizenship. The House of Commons passed the amendment with a strong majority — 297 votes in favour and just 34 against — despite growing protests over the treatment of foreign criminals and immigrants, especially from Romania and Bulgaria. According to the Home Office, this measure will not apply to individuals born in the UK and will be implemented in line with Britain's international obligations. The policy has also received backing from the Liberal Democrats, who believe it will affect only a small number of extreme cases. Theresa May's proposal follows a significant Supreme Court ruling last October that overturned the revocation of citizenship from Hilal al-Jedda, an Iraqi-born man suspected of terrorism. The decision left al-Jedda stateless, prompting legal challenges. He is currently living in Turkey as the Home Office appeals the ruling. Immigration Minister Mark Harper defended the proposal, stating, 'Citizenship is a privilege, not a right,' and emphasized that the new powers are necessary to protect public safety. However, human rights groups have raised alarms. Reprieve, a UK-based organisation, called the move "a worrying development," warning it gives the Home Secretary sweeping powers to revoke citizenship without due process. The push for stricter laws comes amid rising concern over European extremists returning from Syria. Intelligence reports suggest that more than 700 fighters — including 250 French, 200 Belgian, and 270 German nationals — have joined conflicts in Syria, with at least 60 killed. European governments fear these trained fighters could bring militant tactics back home, prompting tighter security measures. Parliament also debated two additional proposals yesterday. The first, supported by 70 Conservative MPs, seeks to extend work restrictions on Romanian and Bulgarian nationals until 2018. The second, backed by about 100 MPs and introduced by MP Dominic Raab, aims to prevent foreign criminals sentenced to at least one year in prison from appealing deportation orders. The new measures reflect mounting pressure on Prime Minister David Cameron from within his own party to take a harder stance on immigration and national security.
Straits Times
30-06-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
'Generali' sign atop insurer's skyscraper offices collapses in Milan
A partially collapsed sign of the Generali insurance headquarters is seen at the top of the Hadid tower in Milan, Italy, June 30, 2025. REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo A partially collapsed sign of the Generali insurance headquarters is seen at the top of the Hadid tower in Milan, Italy, June 30, 2025. REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo MILAN - One of the giant Generali signs that crown the Italian insurer's head offices in Milan collapsed on Monday, remaining atop the 170 metre-high (558 ft) skyscraper but at risk of crashing to the ground, firefighters said on Monday. Generali, which is Italy's biggest insurer, said there were no injuries, adding that staff had been instructed to remain at home and work remotely. "The situation has been promptly managed with the collapsed sign immediately secured without any damage to people or the surrounding structures," it said in a note. "The possible causes of the accident are being assessed. Generali will continue to promptly provide all relevant updates," it added. Firefighters said they were working with Generali personnel to prevent the sign from dislodging from the top of the building and plunging to the ground. The area has been cordoned off and the nearby metro station shut. The Generali building, known as the Hadid Tower, is part of Milan's CityLife redevelopment project, which saw the construction of three iconic skyscrapers dubbed Le Tre Torri - "three towers" in Italian - on the grounds of the former trade fair. Built between 2014 and 2017 and spanning 44 storeys, the Generali tower was designed by the late Iraqi-born British architect Zaha Hadid. The other two towers, which house the Milan offices of German insurer Allianz and consultancy firm PwC respectively, were designed by architects Arata Isozaki and Daniel Libeskind. The CityLife project also includes high-end apartment buildings surrounding the park where the three towers are located as well as a shopping centre. Dozens of employees of the shopping centre queued outside the cordoned-off area waiting to see if they would be allowed in, according to a Reuters eyewitness. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
30-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
'Generali' sign atop insurer's skyscraper offices collapses in Milan
A partially collapsed sign of the Generali insurance headquarters is seen at the top of the Hadid tower in Milan, Italy, June 30, 2025. REUTERS/Daniele Mascolo MILAN (Reuters) -One of the giant Generali signs that crown the Italian insurer's head offices in Milan collapsed on Monday, remaining atop the 170 metre-high (558 ft) skyscraper but at risk of crashing to the ground, firefighters said on Monday. Generali, which is Italy's biggest insurer, said there were no injuries, adding that staff had been instructed to remain at home and work remotely. "The situation has been promptly managed with the collapsed sign immediately secured without any damage to people or the surrounding structures," it said in a note. "The possible causes of the accident are being assessed. Generali will continue to promptly provide all relevant updates," it added. Firefighters said they were working with Generali personnel to prevent the sign from dislodging from the top of the building and plunging to the ground. The area has been cordoned off and the nearby metro station shut. The Generali building, known as the Hadid Tower, is part of Milan's CityLife redevelopment project, which saw the construction of three iconic skyscrapers dubbed Le Tre Torri - "three towers" in Italian - on the grounds of the former trade fair. Built between 2014 and 2017 and spanning 44 storeys, the Generali tower was designed by the late Iraqi-born British architect Zaha Hadid. The other two towers, which house the Milan offices of German insurer Allianz and consultancy firm PwC respectively, were designed by architects Arata Isozaki and Daniel Libeskind. The CityLife project also includes high-end apartment buildings surrounding the park where the three towers are located as well as a shopping centre. Dozens of employees of the shopping centre queued outside the cordoned-off area waiting to see if they would be allowed in, according to a Reuters eyewitness. (Reporting by Sara Rossi, Elvira Pollina, Andrea Mandala and Gianluca Semeraro; Writing by Valentina Za; Editing by Gavin Jones, Alvise Armellini and Joe Bavier)
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Barber becomes fourth man from pro-Islamic State WhatsApp group to be jailed
An Iraqi-born barber jailed for four years for sending terrorist propaganda videos is the fourth man from a pro-Islamic State WhatsApp group to be sentenced, it can now be reported. Mohammed Hamad, 30, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, the first day of his trial at Liverpool Crown Court, to two counts of disseminating terrorist publications from the so-called Islamic State (IS), also known as Daesh. At his sentencing hearing on Friday, the court heard Hamad was in a WhatsApp group with people who shared his beliefs and support for IS, described as a 'terrorist organisation that encourages and glorifies religious and political violence'. Also in the group was Roshman Saaed, 30, who was jailed for 12 years after he was found guilty following a trial in Birmingham last year of six counts of dissemination of a terrorist publication – three of which were shared to the same messaging group – and one count of entering into a terrorist funding arrangement. Tshko Mohamad, 33, from West Bromwich, was jailed for seven years after he was convicted of entering into a terrorist funding arrangement and Omar Ahmadi, 24, from Sheffield, was jailed for five years and seven months after pleading guilty to the same offence. Their convictions could not be reported until restrictions were lifted on Friday. David Earl, prosecuting, said Hamad had come to the UK illegally from Iraqi Kurdistan in 2016. He told authorities his life would be in danger and he would be arrested if he returned to his home country, the court heard. Hamad said he had been a student of preacher Mullah Shwan, who he said used to teach him the Koran but had recently 'joined Daesh'. He told interviewers: 'Because I was his student, police called me to attend a meeting so I've run away for my life.' The court heard in June 2022 Mohamad sent a voicenote to Saaed telling him to set up the group with 'trusted brothers of the same belief and agenda'. The group, which included Hamad, was set up later that day with the introductory message: 'Swearing by the almighty Allah, we have given a pledge of allegiance to almighty Allah that we will come to you under the flag of the Islamic State caliphate in whatever hole you are in this world. 'Otherwise we will, by Allah, separate your head from your body.' Hamad shared a 'pro-Islamic State mindset' with others in the group, the court heard. One video shared by another user showed a shackled soldier on fire with the caption: 'It contains roasting. It is very tasty.' The court heard Hamad sent two videos in the group. Mr Earl said the first, sent on December 9 2022, showed someone who claimed to be a student of Mullah Shwan, who appeared in numerous IS videos before he was killed, alongside other IS fighters, in 2015. The video referred to soldiers of the so-called Islamic State and to 'brothers' being skilled in 'IED', meaning improvised explosive devices, Mr Earl said. A second video was sent by Hamad on January 18 and showed three prisoners being beheaded in the street. In a speech before the beheading, the man in the video said he was acting in revenge for an attack on Muslim people and promised: 'We will slaughter you one by one.' Mr Earl said: 'The videos were sent intending them to be a direct or indirect encouragement or other inducement to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.' The group was discovered in March 2023 when Ahmadi was arrested at Stansted Airport on his way to Turkey, with £7,000 hidden in baby milk powder tins. When Hamad, who had a Kurdish Sorani interpreter in the dock, was arrested at his home in Wavertree, Liverpool, in March last year, he told officers: 'I lost my phone a long time ago. I want a solicitor.' Kate O'Raghallaigh, defending Hamad, said: 'The court has seen evidence which is entirely consistent with this man being, in his real life, consistently a hard-working local barber in Liverpool who is not religious, not devout, leads a typical western lifestyle, attends nightclubs and so forth.' Judge Neil Flewitt KC asked: 'Doesn't it rather beg the question, which is the real life?' Photographs of Hamad at social events, including his own wedding, were submitted to the court along with a letter from his wife, who sat in the public gallery. Sentencing, Judge Flewitt said: 'It is said that you live a characteristic western lifestyle, with many gay and lesbian friends, respecting everyone equally. 'On that basis, it is submitted that these offences represent an aberration in your life and undermine any suggestion that you are a committed ideologue. 'I have some difficulty with that submission because another interpretation of that material is that it demonstrates the hypocrisy of a person who is willing publicly to embrace a western lifestyle while privately supporting a terrorist organisation whose objective is to destroy it.' Detective Superintendent Annie Miller, from Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands, said: 'It's clear all these men were involved in supporting Islamic State. 'The group chat was used to promote propaganda and arrange to raise money in the UK to then send to IS to support their activities. 'It is entirely unacceptable to promote terrorism and we will not hesitate to investigate online behaviour or content which breaches terrorism or other criminal legislation.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Barber jailed for four years for sharing Islamic State videos
An Iraqi-born barber has been jailed for four years for sending propaganda videos from the terrorist group calling itself the Islamic State to a WhatsApp group. Mohammed Hamad, 30, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, the first day of his trial at Liverpool Crown Court, to two counts of disseminating terrorist publications from the so-called Islamic State (IS), also known as Daesh. At his sentencing hearing on Friday, David Earl, prosecuting, said Hamad had come to the UK illegally from Iraqi Kurdistan in 2016. He told authorities his life would be in danger and he would be arrested if he returned to his home country, the court heard. Hamad said he had been a student of preacher Mulla Shwan, who he said used to teach him the Koran but had recently 'joined Daesh'. He told interviewers: 'Because I was his student, police called me to attend a meeting so I've run away for my life.' The court heard in June 2022, a WhatsApp group was set up, including Hamad, with the introductory message: 'Swearing by the almighty Allah, we have given a pledge of allegiance to almighty Allah that we will come to you under the flag of the Islamic State caliphate in whatever hole you are in this world. 'Otherwise we will, by Allah, separate your head from your body.' Hamad shared a 'pro-Islamic State mindset' with others in the group, the court heard. One video shared by another user showed a shackled soldier on fire with the caption: 'It contains roasting. It is very tasty.' The court heard Hamad sent two videos in the group. Mr Earl said the first, sent on December 9 2022, showed someone who claimed to be a student of Mulla Shwan, who appeared in numerous IS videos before he was killed, alongside other IS fighters, in 2015. The video referred soldiers of the so-called Islamic State and to 'brothers' being skilled in 'IED', meaning improvised explosive devices, Mr Earl said. A second video was sent by Hamad on January 18 and showed three prisoners being beheaded in the street. In a speech before the beheading, the man in the video said he was acting in revenge for an attack on Muslim people and promised: 'We will slaughter you one by one.' Mr Earl said: 'The videos were sent intending them to be a direct or indirect encouragement or other inducement to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.' When Hamad, who had a Kurdish Sorani interpreter in the dock, was arrested at his home in Wavertree, Liverpool, in March last year, he told officers: 'I lost my phone a long time ago. I want a solicitor.' Kate O'Raghallaigh, defending, said: 'The court has seen evidence which is entirely consistent with this man being, in his real life, consistently a hard-working local barber in Liverpool who is not religious, not devout, leads a typical western lifestyle, attends nightclubs and so forth.' Judge Neil Flewitt KC asked: 'Doesn't it rather beg the question, which is the real life?' Photographs of Hamad at social events, including his own wedding, were submitted to the court along with a letter from his wife, who sat in the public gallery. Sentencing, Judge Flewitt said: 'It is said that you live a characteristic western lifestyle, with many gay and lesbian friends, respecting everyone equally. 'On that basis, it is submitted that these offences represent an aberration in your life and undermine any suggestion that you are a committed ideologue. 'I have some difficulty with that submission because another interpretation of that material is that it demonstrates the hypocrisy of a person who is willing publicly to embrace a western lifestyle while privately supporting a terrorist organisation whose objective is to destroy it.' The judge also made Hamad subject to notification provisions of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 for 10 years.
