A man jailed for a plot to bomb the London Stock Exchange was allowed to remain in the UK after being denied asylum, according to a newly released immigration ruling that also bars his wife from entering the country. The judgment confirms that Shah Rahman, a Bangladeshi national convicted in 2012 alongside other al-Qaeda-inspired extremists, was refused refugee status but later permitted to stay on human rights grounds.
His case came to light through proceedings involving his wife, Parveen Purbhoo, who has now been permanently excluded from Britain.
Officials said Rahman applied for asylum in 2017. His application was rejected under Article 51 of the Refugee Convention, which prevents individuals linked to terrorism or serious crimes from obtaining refugee protection. Even so, the ruling states: “He was granted restricted leave to remain in the United Kingdom on the basis that he could not be removed to Bangladesh without breach of his rights under Article 3 of the Human Rights Convention.”
Article 3 of the Human Rights Convention guarantees protection from torture or “inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment," according to the Daily Mail.
Rahman was released on parole in June 2019 and married Purbhoo that same month in an Islamic ceremony at East London Mosque while she was visiting the UK. She later sought entry clearance, with an initial refusal followed by a successful second application. She returned briefly in February 2020 before leaving again due to the pandemic.
In August 2021, Purbhoo attempted to re-enter the UK to formalize the marriage in a civil ceremony. On arrival at Heathrow Airport, officers searched her phone and found Isis-related material. A police report stated: “She appeared very blasé about having them on her mobile. She could not remember where or how they got there. She admitted that she wanted to learn more about it and what it was and about the atrocities.”
She was still allowed into the country and went on to live with Rahman, but things didn’t stay quiet for long. Rahman was recalled to prison in February 2022 after breaching conditions of parole. He was later convicted of failing to disclose a mobile phone, email address and bank account.
The judgment notes: “Mr Rahman accepted before the parole board that he would use the illicit mobile phone to contact the applicant. In his witness statement in these proceedings, he accepts that he used the phone to have private video calls with her.”
A forensic psychology report found Purbhoo had been “complicit in the breaches for which Mr Rahman was convicted.”
In 2023, then-Home Secretary Suella Braverman ordered her exclusion from the UK. Judges upheld that decision, stating: “The applicant was complicit in Mr Rahman's unlawful breach of notification requirements; and she has not provided either the police or SIAC with an explanation of how Islamist material came to be on her phone.”
They added: “Her willingness to place her own interests over and above legal or administrative processes is troubling and risky.”
The commission concluded she had been “reasonably assessed as a national security risk,” and said her exclusion was proportionate.
His case came to light through proceedings involving his wife, Parveen Purbhoo, who has now been permanently excluded from Britain.
Officials said Rahman applied for asylum in 2017. His application was rejected under Article 51 of the Refugee Convention, which prevents individuals linked to terrorism or serious crimes from obtaining refugee protection. Even so, the ruling states: “He was granted restricted leave to remain in the United Kingdom on the basis that he could not be removed to Bangladesh without breach of his rights under Article 3 of the Human Rights Convention.”
Article 3 of the Human Rights Convention guarantees protection from torture or “inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment," according to the Daily Mail.
Rahman was released on parole in June 2019 and married Purbhoo that same month in an Islamic ceremony at East London Mosque while she was visiting the UK. She later sought entry clearance, with an initial refusal followed by a successful second application. She returned briefly in February 2020 before leaving again due to the pandemic.
In August 2021, Purbhoo attempted to re-enter the UK to formalize the marriage in a civil ceremony. On arrival at Heathrow Airport, officers searched her phone and found Isis-related material. A police report stated: “She appeared very blasé about having them on her mobile. She could not remember where or how they got there. She admitted that she wanted to learn more about it and what it was and about the atrocities.”
She was still allowed into the country and went on to live with Rahman, but things didn’t stay quiet for long. Rahman was recalled to prison in February 2022 after breaching conditions of parole. He was later convicted of failing to disclose a mobile phone, email address and bank account.
The judgment notes: “Mr Rahman accepted before the parole board that he would use the illicit mobile phone to contact the applicant. In his witness statement in these proceedings, he accepts that he used the phone to have private video calls with her.”
A forensic psychology report found Purbhoo had been “complicit in the breaches for which Mr Rahman was convicted.”
In 2023, then-Home Secretary Suella Braverman ordered her exclusion from the UK. Judges upheld that decision, stating: “The applicant was complicit in Mr Rahman's unlawful breach of notification requirements; and she has not provided either the police or SIAC with an explanation of how Islamist material came to be on her phone.”
They added: “Her willingness to place her own interests over and above legal or administrative processes is troubling and risky.”
The commission concluded she had been “reasonably assessed as a national security risk,” and said her exclusion was proportionate.
