Blunkett in Sheffield

Former Cabinet member David Blunkett was at the University of Sheffield today to give a lecture on terrorism.

And he admitted that Muslim cleric Abu Hamza was not arrested and charged much earlier as the government feared a backlash from the Muslim community.

Blunkett was the home secretary when the police started getting information about the cleric’s race-hate talks and other activities. And when the radical cleric was arrested seven years ago, the police found that he had used a passport in another name to travel to Bosnia.

And again, when his mosque was raided in 2003, the police found blank-firing guns, knives and hundreds of forged and stolen documents but Abu Hamza was allowed to preach for another year until he was arrested on a US warrant.

Earlier this week, the cleric was jailed seven years for inciting murder and stirring up racial hatred.

Following that, the question in many people’s mind was what took the government so long to arrest and charge Abu Hamza.

Today Blunkett gave some answers to that.

He said:

“Intelligence and security services said that any action against Abu Hamza by a
premature entry into his mosque will trigger action in the community.”

When asked if it was possible that the delay in any action was due to the fact that the security services were relying on Abu Hamza to tip them on other terrorists, Blunkett said:

“If that’s the case, it was a very poor relationship. Nothing came out from that
relationship (laughter). Nothing like that happened.”

During his trial, Abu Hamza testified and alluded that actions weren’t taken against him as MI5 was working with him.

The former minister today denied any such relationship and squarely blames any delay in any action on the government’s fear that the Muslim community will not take it kindly if Abu Hamza was arrested.

On the issue of Prophet Muhammad’s offensive cartoons, Blunkett said the republication of the cartoons provoked the Muslims worldwide to protest.

“Free speech must be protected but balanced from persecution and
discrimination.”

He also said that if the government’s Race Hatred Bill had been passed into law, problems such as the volatile and threatening demonstration by Muslims in London last week could have been evaded.

At the end of the hour-long talk, Blunkett emerged saying nothing more than he should in protecting his government.

p/s: My apologies for the blurred mobile photo.


my other blog here