UK ‘must expect more suicide bombs’

There is a “real and present danger” of new terror attacks on Britain, including suicide bombings, the Government’s anti-terror watchdog has warned.

Lord Carlile of Berriew QC said documents shown to him by the Home Office were “sufficiently alarming” for him to conclude that suicide bombings similar to those which claimed 52 innocent victims on July 7 “must be expected”.

The Liberal Democrat peer, who is the Government’s Independent Reviewer of counter-terrorism laws, said: “The nature of the activities of which I have seen information is sufficiently alarming for me to re-emphasise … the real and present danger of shocking terrorism acts involving suicide bombers.

“Further suicide bombings in the UK must be expected, and the targets are unpredictable.”

Terror suspects who have been jailed so they can be deported from Britain should be released on control orders, he added.

The watchdog said he had “real concern” about the indefinite detention of the nine men while the Government attempts to reach “no torture” agreements with their home countries.

The Home Office should have secured the agreements - known as memoranda of understanding - before locking up the men, who include radical Muslim preacher Abu Qatada, he said.

“I have a real concern about the detention under deportation procedures … of persons who in practice cannot be deported at present and are unlikely to be capable of legally compliant deportation within a reasonable time,” said Lord Carlile.

“It would have been far preferable for memoranda of understanding to have been reached before the deportation detentions took place.

“How long the present situation for those persons can continue may be a matter for the courts to determine. Given that there is the control order system in existence, it would be preferable for that system to be used against the persons concerned until suitable memoranda have been achieved.”

Lord Carlile made the comments in a report on the Terrorism Act 2005, which set up the controversial control order regime which imposes a loose form of house arrest on terrorism suspects.

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