They moved him near a mosque in England:
FacebookLikeShareTweetEmail Muslims in Accrington were among those who called for the removal of convicted grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed from the town, after it emerged he had been housed in a local hostel following his release from prison earlier this month. Kamran Mahmood, general...
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Muslims in Accrington were among those who called for the removal of convicted grooming gang leader Shabir Ahmed from the town, after it emerged he had been housed in a local hostel following his release from prison earlier this month.
Kamran Mahmood, general secretary of the Ghausia Rizvia mosque on Higher Antley Street, wrote to Lancashire Police’s East Division Chief Superintendent Steve Rides expressing the community’s “grave concern and condemnation” at Ahmed being placed at a hostel in the town.
Mahmood warned that housing Ahmed there had caused “significant distress, fear and anger” among local residents and risked inflaming tensions in Accrington.
Mahmood described the decision to house Ahmed at the hostel as “a serious error of judgement by the relevant authorities,” adding that “parents are deeply worried about the safety of their children, and there is a real risk that these legitimate concerns will lead to rising community tensions if not addressed with urgency and transparency.”
Ahmed, 73, was released on July 2 after serving 14 years of a 19-year sentence handed down in 2012 for rape and sexual offences against girls, some as young as 12.
He led one of the most notorious child grooming gangs in British history, operating in Rochdale, and has had his British citizenship stripped.
Ahmed has since been moved from the hostel. Sarah Smith, MP for Hyndburn, confirmed his removal and said she had worked to secure it since learning he had been placed in her constituency.
“Since finding out that Shabir Ahmed had been released from prison into Hyndburn, I did everything in my power to get him removed. I can confirm that he has been moved,” she said.
“I am disgusted that he was ever here in the first place, and I join other MP colleagues who have been calling for a much wider exclusion zone so that he is not placed in Lancashire or the North West.”
Smith said her first thoughts remained with Ahmed’s victims, whose suffering she said his release had compounded. “His release will bring back unimaginable trauma for the women whose lives were changed forever by his sickening crimes. They deserved to know that once he left prison, he would leave this country. Instead, they have been told he remains here, far too close to the scenes of his crimes and to his victims.”
She added: “This man came to this country, led one of the most notorious child grooming gangs in British history, subjected children to vile abuse, and it is deeply shocking that he was then released into our community. He shouldn’t be here. He is not a British citizen, and he should be deported immediately.”
Ahmed is currently banned from returning to his former address in Oldham and is excluded from parts of Rochdale. He is subject to lifetime registration on the sex offenders register and is prohibited from contacting his victims or any child or young person.
A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said he was “subject to the toughest supervision possible” and that his movements were being tracked.

aerial view of Accrington town centre, Lancashire, UK. Pic: Shutterstock.
Deportation to Pakistan
Calls for Ahmed’s deportation to Pakistan have grown since his release. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced this week that the government intends to amend the Immigration and Asylum Bill, currently passing through the Commons, to remove protections under the 1971 Immigration Act that currently prevent his deportation.
The 1971 Act forbids the removal of Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK more than 50 years ago.
Mahmood acknowledged, however, that even with the proposed legal change, deportation could not proceed without Pakistan’s agreement to accept him. The government has indicated that Pakistan could face visa restrictions if it refuses to take Ahmed back.
“Our amendment will provide the Home Secretary with a new power to disapply Section 7 of the Immigration Act 1971 for serious criminals,” Mahmood told the Commons.
“This provides protections for long-term UK residents, but clearly should not be acting as a bar against removal in cases like that of Shabir Ahmed.”
The Home Office confirmed the bill’s powers could also be extended to cover terrorists, human traffickers, and other violent or dangerous criminals.