Osama Bin Laden ally could be FREED back onto the streets of Britain as parole bid launched

The two separate parole boarding hearings will be held within the space of 24 hours.

Ahmed’s case will commence on September 25, with Khan taking his first step to freedom the following day.

However, a leading terrorism expert urged officials not to free either of them.

Chris Phillips, the former head of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office said: “It's madness to be considering this.

“Public safety will be at risk if either of these men are released.

“You have to question whether it will ever be safe for either of them to walk the streets again.”

The hearings come after Labour announced it was preparing to release criminals early to free up spaces.

Ahmed, who was born in Rochdale, was named as Al-Qaeda’s UK chief and Bin Laden’s right-hand man in Europe.

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He was the first ever person to be charged with directing terrorism in the UK.

Ahmed relocated to Kashmir as a young child and was arrested by Indian authorities at the age of 18 for allegedly fighting as a member of the Islamist terror group Harkat-ul-Mujahideen.

He was put under surveillance when he moved back to the UK in 2005 and officials discovered a diary containing Al-Qaeda contacts written in invisible ink.

Traces of explosives were also found on a rucksack in Ahmed’s possession.

The 47-year-old was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of ten years in 2007, later receiving £1million in legal aid.

Khan, originally from Birmingham, was managing a shop in Sunderland when he was arrested for posting his support for Islamic State on social media.

He also called for the death of Shia Muslims and was convicted in Newcastle Crown Court in May 2018.

A Parole Board spokesperson said: “An oral hearing has been listed for the parole review of Mohammed Zahir Khan and is scheduled to take place in September 2024.

“Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.

“A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.

“Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead-up to an oral hearing.

“Evidence from witnesses including probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements are then given at the hearing.

“The prisoner and witnesses are then questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more.

“Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.”