Lawyers representing four men convicted of terror offences are increasingly hopeful that information from the ongoing undercover policing inquiry could support the reopening of their case. Khobaib Hussain, Naweed Ali, Mohibur Rahman, and Tahir Aziz were arrested ten years ago and later convicted of plotting a terrorist attack in the UK following a covert police operation.
The investigation involved an undercover officer, known as "Vincent", working for the West Midlands' "special projects team". Lawyers for the "Birmingham Four" have long claimed that "Vincent" planted evidence in a vehicle, a claim denied by the officer during the trial and rejected by the jury. The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) received an initial application to investigate the convictions in 2024 and is currently reviewing it.
Gareth Peirce, a lawyer, has submitted further information to the CCRC this year, including evidence heard at the undercover policing inquiry. She stated that this evidence, which concerned an undercover officer believed to have fabricated a gun plot, had parallels with the Birmingham Four case. Mariam Hussain, sister of Khobaib, and the Muslim advocacy group Cage are campaigning for the case to be reopened. A CCRC spokesperson confirmed that a review of the applications is ongoing.