A senior member of an Isis-affiliated terror network was discovered to have entered the United Kingdom illegally after being jailed in Italy for his involvement in planning attacks across Europe. Zana Abdul Rahman Rahim, 43, who was previously imprisoned for seven and a half years, was identified in the UK following a routine traffic stop in West Yorkshire earlier this month.

Rahim, who arrived in Dover in June hidden in the back of a lorry, was found by police after a broken light on his car prompted a background check that revealed his criminal history. He admitted to unlawful entry and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 30. The Home Office confirmed that they will seek his deportation and that he is subject to an exclusion order banning him from the UK.

Rahim served as the spokesman and strategist for the Rawti Shax network, a Sunni-Kurdish jihadist group founded by Najmadin Faraj Ahmad, also known as Mullah Krekar, who is Rahim’s father-in-law. Krekar had close ties with al-Qaeda’s Kurdish battalions and aimed to overthrow the Kurdistan government to establish a caliphate alongside Islamic State. The group operated a jihadist training camp in Syria and allegedly planned to procure weapons, including missiles, to carry out attacks throughout Europe.

Court documents from Italy reveal that after Krekar was imprisoned in Norway in 2012, the network developed schemes to kidnap diplomats, including British and Norwegian ambassadors, intending to use them as leverage for Krekar’s release. Rahim acted as Krekar’s right-hand man, coordinating the cell’s strategy and liaising with financiers to maintain operations.

Rahim was arrested in 2015 as part of a coordinated law enforcement operation across Europe, at a time when he was living in Derby. He resisted extradition to Italy, but eventually was sent there along with 15 other operatives and received a prison sentence. Following his release, Rahim traveled to France and made multiple unsuccessful attempts before successfully entering the UK in June.

The UK Home Office stated that foreign nationals sentenced to imprisonment in the UK are routinely referred for deportation and barred from returning. Mullah Krekar was extradited to Italy in 2020 and received a 12-year sentence for his role in planning terrorist attacks.

Reacting to the case, Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, highlighted concerns about security risks posed by illegal immigrants, urging for Rahim’s prompt deportation. The case underscores ongoing challenges faced by authorities in preventing the entry and activities of individuals linked to international terrorism.