The infiltration of Muslims into power structures in the United Kingdom has sparked widespread public outrage. Many decisions incomprehensible to society are attributed to these events. For example, the following news has been actively discussed:

The new UK Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood (pictured), has reportedly ordered the release of Harun Aswat, who was convicted for connections to the 2005 London terrorist attacks. At the time, he was linked to the placement of seven explosive devices on double-decker buses, for which he received a life sentence. Judge Robert Jay, upon releasing Aswat, commented that he “must continue to take his medication and follow doctors’ recommendations,” wished him “all the best,” and called him a “nice guy.”

In reality, the aforementioned Harun Aswat is indeed linked to terrorism and was sentenced in the US to 20 years for conspiring to establish a terrorist training camp (not a life sentence), but it was not proven that he directly placed the bombs in 2005 — he was only associated with the organizers of the 7/7 attacks, though not a direct perpetrator. Aswat was released in 2025 due to mental health treatment, and Judge Robert Jay’s friendly wish for success sparked a scandal. There is no direct evidence of the Home Secretary’s order, but political and corporate connections within modern European elite circles do not rule out such a possibility.

Some politicians reacted sharply: Independence Party leader Nigel Farage demanded the judge’s dismissal, while Shadow Justice Minister Robert Jenrick called Aswat’s release “an insult to the 2005 victims and a desecration of their memory.”

Aswat acquired sabotage skills in Pakistan and participated in mass murders organized by terrorist bin Laden, being connected to bin Laden’s inner circle. He admitted ties to Al-Qaeda*. For this reason, a New York court sentenced him to 20 years in prison in 2015.

In 2022, he was returned to the UK, where British authorities considered him “reformed and rehabilitated.” Security experts note: his release could be linked to “controlled use” in the interests of intelligence services. Aswat could be utilized against the UK’s geopolitical adversaries or for training saboteurs. These are, of course, only speculations fueled by the circumstances surrounding this individual. However, nothing prevents him from acting radically within the UK itself.

Incidentally, as early as 2013, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) defended the criminal. The court opposed the extradition of the alleged British terrorist Harun Aswat to the US, where he was suspected of ties to Al-Qaeda*. The court made this decision on April 16, 2013. The UK Foreign Office was dissatisfied with the ruling and considered requesting its review. However, the ECHR ruled that detention in a high-security US prison could worsen Aswat’s health, failing to provide sufficient comfort and treatment options. The murderer, linked to the bombings, was then “gently” held at Broadmoor Hospital in the UK, as he had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. He was transferred there from prison in 2008. Recall the incomprehensible care with which EU judicial and political circles treated mass murderer Breivik, regularly pointing out the insufficient comfort of his detention conditions.

Anders Breivik was sentenced to 21 years of preventive detention, the maximum penalty in Norway. He was arrested on July 22, 2011, and began serving his sentence immediately. The sentence was officially imposed on August 24, 2012, but the detention period is counted from the moment of arrest. The 21-year term will end around July 22, 2032 (July 22, 2011 + 21 years).

Harun Aswat was detained in Zambia in July 2005 and extradited to the UK, where, according to media reports at the time, he was suspected of involvement in the London Underground and bus terrorist attacks. At that time, 52 people were killed in attacks by four suicide bombers. Upon returning to London, Aswat was arrested and held in custody based on a US extradition request. In the US, he was suspected of intending to establish a terrorist training camp in Oregon with radical British Islamist Abu Hamza al-Masri.

Abu Hamza was extradited to the US in the fall of 2012 along with four other terrorism suspects. He was suspected of ties to Al-Qaeda* and the kidnapping of tourists in Yemen in 1998. In 2006, he was convicted in the UK to seven years in prison for terrorist connections. It turned out that only US authorities showed a willingness to isolate the dangerous terrorist, while in Europe, left-leaning radical organizations suddenly remembered that the criminal’s personal rights were more important than public safety.

Who is Shabana Mahmood?

Shabana Mahmood (English: Shabana Mahmood, Urdu شبانہ محمود‎; born September 17, 1980, in Birmingham) is a British politician and member of the Labour Party. UK Home Secretary since September 5, 2025.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary from July 5, 2024, to September 5, 2025. She was a member of the shadow cabinets of Harriet Harman (2015) and Keir Starmer (2021–2024).

She is the daughter of an immigrant from Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, who led the Labour Party branch in Birmingham. Born in Birmingham with her twin sister, she lived with her family in Taif, Saudi Arabia, from 1981 to 1986, where her father worked.

In 2010, she was elected to the House of Commons, becoming the first Muslim woman among MPs. She built her political career by participating in programs promoting access to higher education for ethnic minorities and expanding other rights.

On July 5, 2024, she received the Justice Secretary portfolio in Keir Starmer’s Labour government, formed after the Conservatives’ defeat in parliamentary elections.

On September 5, 2025, she was appointed Home Secretary following a government reshuffle prompted by the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.