5 days ago
EXCLUSIVE Wannabe suicide bomber who plotted to blow up Heathrow passenger plane in 9/11-style attack could soon be freed
A wannabe suicide bomber who plotted to blow up a Heathrow passenger plane in an 9/11 -style atrocity could soon be released despite receiving a life sentence.
Adam Khatib, 39, from Walthamstow in east London, plotted with other Al Qaeda sympathisers to use liquid explosives hidden in bottles of Lucozade and Oasis to slaughter hundreds of passengers flying to the US or Canada in 2006.
The uncovering of the plot that year sparked the biggest crackdown on aviation security in history and changed the way travellers board flights around the world.
Restrictions on taking volumes of more than 100ml on most flights - less than a third of a canned drink - are the enduring legacy of Khatib's murderous plot.
The fanatic - who while still at school in east London styled himself as 'Adam Osama Bin Laden' - was told he must serve a minimum of 18 years after being convicted of conspiracy to murder.
But now, MailOnline has learned, the former east London factory worker has a parole hearing that could see him released if successful.
Chris Phillips, the UK's former Head of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office, told MailOnline: 'I struggle to believe that Khatib has renounced his former extremist views.
'The Heathrow bomb plot was designed to kill thousands of innocent passengers and many more on the ground - if successful, it would have been on par with 9/11.
'I trust the Parole Board will think long and hard before making a recommendation.'
Khatib was a follower of Abdulla Ahmed Ali, 28, the leader of an east London terror cell that planned to bomb planes as they flew over US airspace.
Khatib was one of Ali's 'foot soldiers', willing to sacrifice himself to inflict mass casualties.
He provided crucial support to the conspirators after being drawn to radical Islam as a teenager in Walthamstow, where the cell set up a bomb factory.
In a bugged conversation, part of a joint UK-US investigation, Ali talked about 'Adam' as a potential suicide bomber, his trial at Woolwich Crown Court heard.
The plot was halted as police and M15 conducted multiple raids in August 2006 just as preparations were in their final stages.
A jury convicted Khatib in December 2009 after a two-month trial.
The Parole Board has now confirmed to MailOnline that, despite getting a life sentence, Khatib had been granted a hearing on August 7.
A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: 'An oral hearing has been listed for the parole review of Adam Khatib and is scheduled to take place in August 2025.
'Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.
'A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.
'Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead up to an oral hearing.
'Evidence from witnesses including probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements are then given at the hearing.
'The prisoner and witnesses are then questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more.
'Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.'
The three-person panel can decide to release Khalid on licence.
If so, he will be freed sometime during September - alternatively, it can recommend he be moved to an open prison.
Khatib's co-defendant Nabeel Hussain, 25, from Chingford in east London, was jailed for eight years after being found guilty of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorist acts.
He was a 'backroom boy' providing key logistical and financial help to the cell leader.
Shopkeeper Mohammed Shamin Uddin, 39, of Stoke Newington in north-east London, was imprisoned for 15 months for one count of possessing materials - namely a CD - likely to be useful to terrorism.
He was also jailed for a further five years and nine months for possessing a firearm.
It is believed that both Hussain and Uddin have since been released.
The trial heard the three men were not aware of the specifics of Ali's plot, but knew it involved attacks on civilians.
Peter Wright, prosecuting, said at the time: 'The troops on the ground may be kept in the dark until the final days.
'All that's required is a preparedness to do their bit. Khatib is one such individual.'
Khatib travelled with Ali to Pakistan, the court heard, while another cell ringleader Assad Sarwar, 29, was also there and admitted learning how to make bombs, in a plot became operational after they returned to the UK.
Khatib was one of the few admitted to the 'bomb factory' in Walthamstow, where Ali and Tanvir Hussain prepared explosives - and details of explosives and a 'recipe' for a home-made detonator were found at Khatib's home.
Ali, described as 'the ringleader', was ordered to serve at least 40 years, while Sarwar was given at least 36 and Hussain at least 32 years.
