Here are two different responses to today’s news that jailed Islamist Abu Hamza’s son, Mohammed Kamel Mostafa was employed to work on the London Underground until recently.
It’s worth remembering that young Mohammed was convicted in Yemen for plotting to sabotage economic and tourist sites there:
Labour MP Andrew Dismore said applicants with terrorism-related convictions anywhere in the world should not be eligible for employment on the Underground.
“Bearing in mind what happened on 7/7, he should not have been working on the Underground.”
Fair enough.
But Mayor Livingstone takes a much more sanguine view:
“Has he broken any law here in Britain? [No, so] we are happy to have him working for us.”
Does the undeniable fact that Osama Bin Laden hasn’t been in front of Bow Street Magistrates mean that he’ll be offered a job on track maintenance too?
Update from Gene: Livingstone has reversed himself.
