New offences outlined for terror suspects who flee abroad

Suspected terrorists who attempt to flee the UK or fail to give police their passports will face up to 12 months in prison under new powers.

The Home Secretary, Theresa May, announced the plans for new criminal offences intended to stop suspected terrorists from leaving if they are released on bail.

Under the proposed rules, it will become an offence to try to leave, fail surrender a passport or possess another person’s travel documents.

The news comes after Mark Rowley, the UK’s most senior counterterrorism officer, said bail arrangments were “toothless”. He added there are about 110 suspected terrorists on bail.

One jihadist, Abu Rumaysah, 32, believed to be British-born Siddhartha Dhar, is thought to have left the UK in 2014 even though he had been arrested six times and was on bail.

He travelled to Syria after he failed to surrender his passport – with officers not realising what had happened for up to six weeks after he had gone.

When police wrote to Mr Dhar about handing over his passport he was already in Syria.

Ms May said: “The measure will help the police protect people from the threat of terrorism.”