Failed asylum seeker convicted of poison plot
A failed asylum seeker has been convicted of conducting a poison plot in north London.
Kamel Bourgass was found guilty of plotting to manufacture poisons and explosives with intent to cause fear and injury.
He is already serving a life sentence for murdering detective constable Stephen Oake in Manchester in 2003.
Reporting restrictions on the case were lifted on Wednesday after a lengthy trial at the Old Bailey.
The Conservatives blamed the Government for the presence of Bourgass in the UK, criticising its “chaotic asylum policy”.
Four other men have been cleared of being involved in the conspiracy, while a trial against four others has now been dropped.
Bourgass’ conviction comes after a long investigation by detectives from the Metropolitan Police’s anti-terrorist branch with assistance from the security service and other police forces.
Police found recipes and instructions for making poisons and explosives during a search of premises in Wood Green in north London on January 5 2003.
The court heard that Bourgass was the prime conspirator behind a plan to attack people in the UK using these materials, with the Holloway area of north London the believed target.
Bourgass was later arrested at a separate address in Manchester on January 14 2003, where he stabbed DC Oake numerous times, leading to his death.
He was jailed for life in June 2004, although the case could not be reported until now.
Shadow Home Secretary David Davis said: “The murder of this policeman is a dreadful tragedy for his family and loved ones. It is also a tragedy because it should not have happened. This officer was killed by someone who should have been deported when his asylum application failed.
“Unfortunately this failure was a direct consequence of the Government’s chaotic asylum policy and its porous borders.”
Home Secretary Charles Clarke defended the Government and said it was important not to confuse terrorism and illegal asylum seeking.
“I think it is quite important in this discussion to distinguish the important question of whether terrorists are or are not able to get into the country from the general position of illegal immigrants,” he told BBC Two’s Newsnight.
Police claim that Bourgass had trained at Al-Qaeda military camps in Afghanistan and was a committed member of the terrorist organisation.
