Terror investigation closed before murder of Imam from Rochdale
A former counter-terror detective agreed an investigation was prematurely closed into a man later convicted of helping a so-called Islamic State fanatic flee the UK after the murder of an imam.
Former detective inspector Frank Morris, who retired from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) in 2021, told a public inquiry the police investigation into Mohammed Syadul Hussain should not have been closed in 2014.
The public inquiry at Liverpool Crown Court heard how Hussain, from Rochdale, came under police scrutiny after his eight-year-old nephew in Hull went into school saying he wanted to join the Taliban.
Hussain was subsequently jailed for five years for helping Mohammed Kadir, then 24, flee the UK for Syria.
Kadir is believed to have struck the fatal blows and planned the killing of imam Jalal Uddin with former Manchester United steward Mohammed Syeedy, then 21, who drove Kadir to the scene and helped carry out surveillance on their target.
Father-of-seven Mr Uddin, 71, was bludgeoned with a hammer in a children’s play area in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, on February 18 2016.
Kadir fled the UK three days after the killing with the help of Hussain.
Syeedy was convicted of murdering Mr Uddin in September 2016 and sentenced to life with a minimum term of 24 years.
Both Kadir and Syeedy were sympathisers of the terrorist group calling itself Islamic State and consumed by hatred of Mr Uddin for his practice of Ruqyah, a form of exorcism, which the terror organisation considered “black magic”.
Judge Thomas Teague KC is chairman of the public inquiry into the death of Mr Uddin which will focus on whether there was any intelligence failures which contributed to the murder.
Much of the inquiry has been held in secret or “closed” session to protect national security.
On the second day of three days of evidence open to press and public, the hearing was told Hussain’s home was raided in August 2014 and his phone and other devices seized.
On the phone, police found images of IS propaganda, photos of terror leaders, including photos of Osama Bin Laden and Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, weapons and execution videos.
Police concluded he posed a “significant risk” to himself and others of radicalisation, though no actual terror offences were detected and he was not arrested or charged.
Mr Morris told the inquiry: “It was not unusual to find images of this kind on devices seized at this time.”
However, police failed to look at the communications on his phone – which would have revealed his second most regular contact was Kadir and the investigation into Hussain was closed.
He was instead referred to Prevent, the Government’s anti-radicalisation programme.
Mr Morris agreed communications between the men should have been reviewed and the investigation kept open until that had taken place.
Sophie Cartwright KC, counsel to the inquiry, asked Mr Morris about one particular WhatsApp exchange with Kadir later recovered from Hussain’s phone.
Kadir called former prime minister and then Middle East envoy Tony Blair a “motherf*****” with Hussain saying: “He needs killing.”
Mr Morris said: “Mr Blair at the time was not a favourite of any Islamists, with the war in Iraq.
“I think there was a lot of English people about at that time who did not like Tony Blair and called him a war criminal.”
Hussain also referred to Kadir as a “Brother” on public Facebook postings displaying extremist views.
Mr Morris said even if they had known about the two men’s communications, it is unlikely counter-terror police would have acted differently other than to possibly gather more intelligence on Kadir.
A previous hearing was told from October 2015, Kadir was assessed and continued to be assessed as a person of high risk and significant concern, and latterly as someone who posed a risk of acting on his Islamist extremist aspirations.
“Well-liked and respected” Mr Uddin was formerly an imam at the Jalalia Mosque in Rochdale and regarded as a scholar of the Koran.
The hearing was adjourned until Wednesday 25 September.