'Work for us or we will say you are a terrorist'
The British secret service, MI5, has been accused of harassment and blackmail. Five Muslim community workers have made official complaints to the police. Initially MI5 approached the men because they wanted to use them as informants. If the men would not comply to the request, MI5 took certain measures to change their minds. One of the man, Mahdi Hashi, tells about his experience with MI5 after declining the offer to become an informant. At one point he is traveling to Somalia and on the airport he is approached by a man who identifies himself as an MI5 agent. He warns Mahdi not to take the plane. Mahdi leaves anyway and the moment he arrives at the airport in Somalia he is held in a room for 16 hours and then send back to Heathrow. There he was detained as well and the MI5 agent told him how he was a terrorist suspect.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/exclusive-how-mi5-blackmails-british-muslims-1688618.html
Reaction:
It is terrible the way MI5 abuses its power to force people into a position they do not want to be in. The people that MI5 approached did not choose to work for the agency. The men described in the article all work with disadvantaged youths, and help them reach their potential. I do not know what made them stand out, that MI5 was interested in them and thought they could provide useful information.
