 |
| David Camron |
LONDON (AFP) – The Nigerian-based Islamist extremist group
Boko Haram is to be banned in Britain under anti-terror laws, the British
interior ministry announced on Monday.
The Home Office said British-based extremists Minbar Ansar
Deen, also known as Ansar al-Sharia UK, would also be proscribed from Friday,
subject to parliamentary approval.
“This will make membership of, and support for, these
organisations a criminal offence,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The government is determined to work with the international
community to tackle terrorism and take the steps necessary to keep the UK
public safe.
“Proscription of these groups sends a clear message that we
condemn their activities.”
Some 3,600 people have been killed during Boko Haram’s
four-year insurgency in north and central Nigeria, according to Human Rights
Watch.
The latest attack on Saturday saw gunmen kill 42 people,
almost all of them students, as they stormed a boarding school in the
northeastern state of Yobe.
The group has claimed to be seeking an Islamic state in
Nigeria, but is believed to include various factions with different aims.
The British government said its ban on Boko Haram would give
police the power to target British support for the group.
The British-based Minbar Ansar Deen allegedly promotes
terror through its website and encourages people to travel abroad to engage in
extremist activity, the Home Office added.
Under the 2000 Terrorism Act, the home secretary, or
interior minister, can ban an organisation if it is believed to have terror
links.
If the ban on Boko Haram and Minbar Ansar Deen is approved
by parliament, it will be a criminal offence in Britain to belong to or support
the groups, as well as to arrange meetings or wear clothing supporting them.
Al-Qaeda and Somalia’s Shebab insurgents are also proscribed
under British law.
No comments:
Post a Comment