Latest news with #killlist
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
WhatsApp message urges Afghans to sue Britain
Afghans have been encouraged to sue the British Government over the 'kill list' data breach in a WhatsApp message urging them to contact UK law firms. The message gave details of how to lodge a legal complaint through Barings, a Manchester-based law firm that specialises in privacy and data breach cases. It provided the web address for a portal for Barings where Afghans can complete a compensation claim form, and was widely circulated among Afghans living not only in Afghanistan but also Pakistan and the UK. Barings has 1,000 Afghan clients suing the Government over the data breach and is adding 100 claims a day following the lifting of the super-injunction covering the case on Tuesday. Up until Tuesday, the law firm - like the media - was prevented from highlighting the data breach or the existence of the injunction. Barings said it first became aware of the data leak in March after being contacted by an Afghan who found the company in an online search for firms specialising in such cases. In the space of a few weeks, 650 Afghans had instructed Barings to act on their behalf. However, Adnan Malik, the lawyer heading up the group action, said: 'We didn't send any WhatsApp messages.' He said that all Barings correspondence with clients was by email and he had never seen the spreadsheet containing the records of 25,000 Afghans who had applied for asylum in the UK, which was accidentally leaked in February 2022 . The Ministry of Defence was first made aware of the data breach 18 months later in August 2023 when a case worker warned officials of the circulation of a 'kill list'. Mr Malik informed the Government Legal Department in April that his firm was acting for Afghans over the data breach. On April 15, the Government slapped a superinjunction on him preventing him from discussing the case. '100 new cases a day' Mr Malik said: 'We had about 800 cases before the injunction was lifted and now we have 1,000. We are getting 100 a day coming in. No doubt the Government wanted the injunction because this is going to cost the Government a lot of money.' Each claim is worth a 'five-figure sum', according to Barings. With 25,000 names on the list – and extended families also put in danger of reprisals by the Taliban – the final legal bill could exceed a quarter of a billion pounds. The data breach alone could be worth up to £10,000 per claimant with much bigger compensation for any resulting risk to life. Under the terms of the conditional fee agreement clients must sign, Barings receive their fees and expenses – capped at 25 per cent – of any successful claim. The Government, which has already spent billions flying people endangered by the leak out of Afghanistan, has said it will fight the compensation case, although the MoD declined to say on what grounds. On its website, Barings states: 'Barings Law are helping Afghan nationals who assisted British Forces seek justice after the Ministry of Defence exposed their identities, placing them at risk of serious harm. The MoD has tried to suppress the data breach for nearly three years by taking out a super-injunction.' Separately, a former Afghan soldier who fled to Iran because his name appeared on the leaked spreadsheet, said he had been added to a WhatsApp group that included British phone numbers allegedly belonging to three lawyers based in London. There is no evidence the lawyers were genuine or worked for reputable firms in the UK. The man, who worked alongside the British military in Afghanistan, said: 'I was added to a WhatsApp group with three other British numbers. They said they were lawyers in London and could help me get money from the UK Government. 'They said they would help me get thousands of pounds from their Government and asked me to send them my banking details and sign a letter to confirm they are my lawyers.' The individuals, who used random characters instead of real names in their biographical details, told him they would bring him to Britain and that he should pay them 30 per cent after receiving compensation from the government. 'I thought it was a scam and told my British contacts about it,' he said. When the Afghan man asked how they found him, the purported lawyers said 'that's not important,' he added.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- The Guardian
Essex man who bought gun in MI5 sting denies writing kill-list of ‘race traitors'
A former Tesco worker caught buying a gun in an MI5 sting operation has denied compiling a kill-list of colleagues and customers branded 'race traitors'. Alfie Coleman was arrested by counter-terrorism police in an east London supermarket car park moments after picking up a Makarov pistol and ammunition on 29 September 2023. During a hearing at the Old Bailey on Thursday, the prosecutor, Nicholas de la Poer KC, reminded Coleman of a list he had compiled of people who had 'upset' him. Individuals fell broadly into two categories: people he categorised as 'undercover police officers', and 'race traitors', jurors heard. Describing the annotated list, de la Poer said a 'very large number of people are the subject of a racial slur by you or described as race traitors'. Coleman said: 'I cannot remember what was going through my head. I cannot say what I meant when I wrote those words down.' Referring to a colleague and her husband who appeared on the list, the prosecutor observed: 'This is a white woman married to a person of non-white heritage and you have described her as a race traitor. This is someone who you worked with. Why did you describe her as a race traitor?' Coleman said he could not remember. De la Poer asked the defendant: 'Was that a list of people who you thought needed to be killed?' Coleman replied: 'No.' Coleman said he understood 'race traitor' to mean someone who was friends or in a relationship with a 'non-white' person. He added that he also included those in the 'system' working against the interests of white people. The judge, Richard Marks KC, asked Coleman to clarify his stance, saying: 'Regardless of colour, if you cooperate with authorities and work in the government, you are a race traitor – people working for government means doing something against white people?' The defendant replied: 'That's the way I understood it, yeah.' De la Poer asked the defendant about his collection of extreme rightwing books, including one Coleman had described as 'captivating' and lifechanging. A chapter entitled 'the day of the rope' detailed public hangings of people it described as 'race traitors', the court was told. Coleman said he was not 'specifically' interested in that part. He denied he had read another book in his collection about a man who hunted down interracial couples as 'race traitors'. The prosecutor suggested: 'You were preparing to engage in illegal behaviour because you bought a firearm and so it's not a case that you did not do things because they were illegal.' The defendant replied: 'I agree to a certain extent. There are a lot of reasons why I did it.' De la Poer asked: 'In terms of publications likely to be of use to terrorists, you know the explosives manuals were describing how a person might make a bomb, is that right?' Coleman replied: 'I did not read them. It is only through the process of the trial I have seen excerpts and screen shots.' The defendant has accepted he had a large quantity of extreme rightwing material and has pleaded guilty to possessing 10 documents which contained information likely to be useful to terrorists. Coleman, 21, from Great Notley in Essex, has admitted attempting to possess both a firearm and ammunition but denies he was preparing for a terrorist attack. The trial continues.
The Independent
6 days ago
- The Independent
Terror-accused Tesco worker denies making kill list of ‘race traitor' customers
A former Tesco worker accused of plotting a terror attack has denied making a kill list of customers and colleagues he branded "race traitors." Alfie Colman was 19 when he was caught buying a gun and was arrested by counter terrorism police in a Morrisons car park. Colman was attempting to buy a Makarov pistol and ammunition, but the sale turned out to be an MI5 sting. At the trial on Thursday, Nicholas De La Poer KC reminded Coleman of the list he had made of those who had 'upset' him. The list separated people broadly into two categories - those he considered 'undercover police officers' and others as 'race traitors', a jury heard. Describing the annotated list, the prosecutor said 'a very large number of people are the subject of a racial slur by you or described as race traitors'. Coleman said: 'I cannot remember what was going through my head. I cannot say what I meant when I wrote those words down.' Referring to a colleague and her husband who appeared on the list, the prosecutor observed: 'This is a white woman married to a person of non-white heritage and you have described her as a race traitor. This is someone who you worked with. Why did you describe her as a race traitor?' Coleman said he could not remember. Mr De La Poer went on: 'Was that a list of people who you thought needed to be killed?' The defendant replied: 'No.' Coleman said he understood 'race traitor' to mean someone who was friends or in a relationship with a 'non-white' person. He added that he also included those in the 'system' working against the interests of white people. Referring to the defendant's list, Mr De La Poer said: 'Can we agree that none of the people you are describing as race traitors here fall into that category? 'They are not white people who are politicians who betrayed other white people because of their power. These are customers and colleagues at Tesco.' Coleman replied: 'I do not know specifically. They may not all have been where I worked. I cannot say any more other than that.'Judge Richard Marks KC asked the defendant to clarify his stance, saying: 'Regardless of colour, if you co-operate with authorities and work in the Government you are a race traitor – people working for Government means doing something against white people?' The defendant replied: 'That's the way I understood it, yeah.' Mr De La Poer quizzed the defendant about his collection of extreme right-wing books including one Coleman had described as 'captivating' and life-changing. A chapter entitled 'the day of the rope' detailed public hangings of people it described as 'race traitors', the court was told. Coleman said he was not 'specifically' interested in that part even though he had searched for artwork from the book and downloaded an image of a public hanging. He denied he had read another book in his collection about a man who hunted down inter-race couples as 'race traitors'. The prosecutor suggested: 'You were preparing to engage in illegal behaviour because you bought a firearm and so it's not a case that you did not do things because they were illegal.' The defendant replied: 'I agree to a certain extent. There are a lot of reasons why I did it.' Mr De La Poer asked: 'In terms of publications likely to be of use to terrorists you know the explosive manuals were describing how a person might make a bomb, is that right?' Coleman replied: 'I did not read them. It is only through the process of the trial I have seen excerpts and screen shots.' The defendant has accepted he had a large quantity of extreme right-wing material and has pleaded guilty to possessing 10 documents which contain information likely to be useful to terrorists. Coleman, now aged 21, from Great Notley in Essex, has admitted attempting to possess both a firearm and ammunition but denies he was preparing for a terrorist attack.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
I blew the whistle on Afghan leak, then Government turned on me
The whistleblower who first warned ministers of the 'kill list' Afghan data breach was tricked into a super-injunction, The Telegraph can disclose. The woman – known as Person A – sent an email to James Heappey, the Armed Forces minister at the time, informing him that lives of Afghans who had supported British troops were at risk. The woman said she received no reply from Mr Heappey, but after she posted concerns on social media, she was contacted by officials at the Ministry of Defence (MoD). They invited her to a virtual meeting where she was slapped with a super-injunction, preventing her from discussing the leak of the records of 25,000 Afghans who had applied for asylum to the UK. The super-injunction, which was finally lifted on Tuesday after almost two years, prevented the woman from raising the issue of the leak. The super-injunction was so wide-ranging that anybody served with it could not even acknowledge its existence.
Telegraph
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
‘Taliban fighters came to my house. I escaped just in time'
The knock came at 3am, sharp and deliberate against the aged metal door. But the house, in western Afghanistan, was empty – it had been for nearly two years, ever since the day everything changed for the man who once called it home. He sits now in a cramped shelter across the border in Iran, watching his phone buzz with another frantic message from family who stayed behind in Afghanistan. The Taliban had come again, searching, questioning, demanding answers his relatives couldn't give. 'They've been going to my relatives' homes twice a week asking about me. I'm just glad I managed to flee, otherwise they would have killed my whole family,' the former member of the Afghan special forces told The Telegraph from a small town outside Tehran. 'They came to my house a few weeks ago, which is right next to my parents', and started knocking at 3am, looking for me. They think I return home at night.' His name had appeared on a 'kill list' of Afghans who had helped British forces before the fall of Kabul in 2021. The list, carrying 25,000 names of soldiers and their families, was accidentally leaked online in 2022 by a Royal Marine. The names were supposed to remain secret, protected by government security protocols. Instead, they became a Taliban hunting manual. The man and a group of other Afghans on the list had heard rumours of compensation. One law firm – based in the UK – is suing the Ministry of Defence on behalf of at least 1,000 Afghans who claim they were affected by the breach. However, for those on the list who never made it to the UK, compensation is the least of their priorities. 'Officially, through the case we filed, no one has communicated anything to us,' the man said. 'We are very disappointed and just waiting. The British government has not told us what to do. 'I'm not alone, there are many people like me here and in Afghanistan who have been living in fear and waiting when death would knock on the door.' Britain has secretly offered asylum to nearly 24,000 Afghan soldiers and their families caught up in the most serious data breach in history. The leak, involving the details of 18,800 soldiers, along with about 6,000 of their family members, was revealed on Tuesday after a two-year super-injunction was lifted by the High Court in London. However, the former member of the Afghan special forces said many of those who were taken to Britain were neither high-ranking nor facing serious threats to their lives. ' People like base gardeners or low-ranking soldiers were taken to Britain, but many high-ranking colonels whose lives are truly at risk were left behind, just waiting for death to come,' he said. 'It's deeply disappointing. This isn't justice. I don't understand how they prioritised the evacuations – they even took the guy who used to polish shoes, or a base's barber, but left behind many colonels.' The Home Office regularly declines to comment on the specific categories of individuals brought to the UK. The man served with the British Army's special forces, his skills and courage earning him respect among his international colleagues. His nephew told The Telegraph from Afghanistan: 'He was too courageous and everyone in his unit knew that, but England left him behind after their forces left. 'For months he was living in different homes of relatives and in villages and towns around Herat.' When Western forces withdrew in 2021, the man applied for asylum in the UK, submitting documents that included his service record and his family's details. It was supposed to be his pathway to safety. Instead, it became his death warrant. The Taliban claims they obtained the list from the internet during the first days after it was leaked. While the Government spent £7 billion on a covert operation to relocate thousands of affected Afghans to the UK, the man and his family remained trapped in limbo, their names circulating among Taliban units with orders to find them. 'They keep pressuring us to reveal his whereabouts,' his nephew said. 'They once arrested me and beat me for a day. My uncle served with the special forces. The Taliban keep saying he must come with them for questioning.' Taliban fighters don't just visit once and leave. They return regularly, methodically working through extended family networks, applying pressure with each visit. They know intimate details. Information that could only have come from the leaked asylum applications. 'It's putting everyone in the family at risk,' the nephew explains. 'Being related to someone on a Taliban kill list is a death sentence. He added: 'They have all his details – his name, his wife's name, even his children's names. We were shocked when they listed them.' The Taliban's message to the family is brutally clear: if they can't find the man, they'll kill another family member instead. 'The blood of a spy is in your veins,' they told his relatives, transforming his service into a hereditary crime that endangers everyone who shares his name. Nearly two years have passed since he fled to Iran with his family, but the pursuit hasn't diminished. If anything, it has intensified. A senior Taliban official told The Telegraph that a special unit had been launched to find those on the list, with names handed over to border forces to prevent escape. The hunt has become institutionalised, with senior figures in Kandahar pressuring officials in Kabul to locate the targets. 'These people are seen as traitors,' a Taliban official said, 'and the plan has been to find as many of them as possible.' For the man hiding in Iran, the news grows more desperate by the day. The Islamic Republic is now deporting hundreds of thousands of Afghans back into Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Iran is using espionage allegations against Afghans as a pretext for the mass arrests and deportations following the recent conflict with Israel. The Telegraph spoke to Afghans in Iran, at the border, and in Afghanistan who said the regime in Tehran was targeting them to divert public attention from its 'humiliation' by Israel in last month's 12-day war. During the conflict, daily deportations jumped from 2,000 to over 30,000 as Iranian authorities turned public anger toward the vulnerable minority. Those persecuted by the regime also reported suffering widespread abuses including beatings, arbitrary detention. Since early June, nearly 450,000 Afghan refugees, many who arrived after the Taliban returned to power in 2021, have been deported and 5,000 children separated from their parents, according to UN agencies. 'The situation in Iran isn't good,' the former special forces member said. 'I emailed them [British officials], but all I got was an automatic reply saying they'd get back to me.'
