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| Britain |
| Al-Qaeda terrorist taught stand-up comedy at top-security prison |
| 2008-11-21 |
| Zia Ul Haq, who was involved in the 'Gas Limos Project' to bomb London, was reportedly enrolled on an eight-day comedy workshop at HMP Whitemoor. He was among 18 prisoners, including murderers, who were given lessons in stand-up, comic drama, improvisation and scriptwriting. Having completed the £8,000 course they were to have received a certificate and staged a performance for fellow inmates and guards at the Category A prison in Cambridgeshire. However, justice secretary Jack Straw stepped in and closed the course after three days, The Sun reported. "As soon as I heard about it, I instructed it must be immediately cancelled," he said. "It is totally unacceptable. Senior managers in the Prison Service, who were also unaware of it, take the same view. "Prisons should be places of punishment and reform. Providing educational and constructive pursuits is essential but the types of courses and the manner in which they are delivered must be appropriate." Ul Haq, 29, of Paddington, in west London, was jailed for 18 years last year for his part in a plot led by Dhiren Barot, who planned to set off a dirty bomb using limousines packed with explosives. Ul Haq's role was use his background in architecture to advise on where bombs should be placed to cause buildings to collapse. An inquiry has now been launched by the director of high security prisons to consider whether further action was needed, the Ministry of Justice said. A spokeswoman added: "The director general of the National Offender Management Service is personally briefing governors from all prisons on the need to take account of the public acceptability test [in relation to prison classes]." |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #5 It might make me chuckle to see him dance. At the end of a rope, that is. |
| Posted by: Penguin 2008-11-21 22:03 |
| #4 Lemme guess - courses in Koranic interpretation are fine, but comedy classes are out. It seems to me that these terrorists need to work on their under-developed sense of humor. Trust Jack Straw to put the kibosh on something that might be genuinely therapeutic. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2008-11-21 21:19 |
| #3 Ul Haq spotted on CCTV. |
| Posted by: ed 2008-11-21 20:07 |
| #2 I have difficulty imagining an AQ terrorist being funny despite any amount of training as a stand up comic. "Clap and laugh or I will cut off your head.?" |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2008-11-21 19:04 |
| #1 "Senior managers in the Prison Service, who were also unaware of it" Problem spotted. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-11-21 18:26 |