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Former top lawyer says anti-terror laws 'may not be legal'

Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve has voiced concerns about the legality of new anti-terror measures, while Labour has accused the Government of being "unclear" in their plans.

The comments come after David Cameron unveiled a series of new measures including giving police the powers to seize passports at UK borders of British citizens they suspect could be travelling abroad to fight with terror groups.

The move follows the announcement on Friday that the UK's terror threat has been upgraded from 'substantial' to 'severe', with the Home Secretary saying an attempted attack was now "highly likely".

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Senior British Muslims back fatwa against Islamic State

Several senior British Muslim clerics have added their support to a 'fatwa' against the Islamic State militant group currently wreaking havoc in Iraq and Syria.

The fatwa, which is a type of Islamic religious decree, calls IS "an oppressive and tyrannical group" and forbids British Muslims from joining.

Part of the fatwa, published in the Sunday Times, reads: "IS is a heretical, extremist organisation and it is religiously prohibited (haram) to support or join it; furthermore, it is an obligation on British Muslims to actively oppose its poisonous ideology, especially when this is promoted within Britain."

An IS fighter holding the militant group's black and white flag. Credit: Reuters

The decree was written by Sheikh Dr Usama Hasan, a former imam in east London and now head theologian at the anti-extremist Quilliam Foundation.

Among other supporters are the head imams of Leicester and Manchester Central Mosques.

Read: Brits fighting for IS 'could be banned from UK'

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Former top lawyer says anti-terror laws 'may not be legal'

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