Zeeshan Siddiqui is a citizen of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, who was apprehended in Pakistan after he fell under suspicion of being associated with terrorism. Prior to his travel to Pakistan Zeeshan worked for

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Underground Underground most commonly refers to: * Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth Underground may also refer to: Places * The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston * The Underground (S ...

—its

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...

system.

Pakistani capture

Zeeshan was apprehended by Pakistani security officials on 15 May 2005. According to the '' Daily Times'' he was arrested when he went to a police station in

Peshawar Peshawar (; ps, پېښور ; hnd, ; ; ur, ) is the sixth most populous city in Pakistan, with a population of over 2.3 million. It is situated in the north-west of the country, close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is ...

to report the loss of his passport. Zeeshan reports he was tortured by Pakistani security officials, with the knowledge of British security officials. Much of the questioning he underwent was to explore any ties he may have had with British citizens who set off four suicide bombs on the London transit system on 7 July 2005 — about two months after his apprehension. Zeeshan wasn't charged with any terrorism related offenses. He was charged with not having valid travel documents. These charges were dropped in December 2005 and he was released in January 2006. A Pakistani judge ruled that he should receive

cornea The cornea is the transparent front part of the eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber. Along with the anterior chamber and lens, the cornea refracts light, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical power ...

l surgery, because his beatings had damaged his eyesight.

Return to the United Kingdom

Zeeshan was deported from Pakistan to the United Kingdom when he was released from Pakistani custody on 6 January 2006. Following his return to the United Kingdom, in May 2006, Zeeshan was put under a

control order A control order is an order made by the Home Secretary of the United Kingdom to restrict an individual's liberty for the purpose of "protecting members of the public from a risk of terrorism". Its definition and power were provided by Parliament in ...

, which restricted his travel, and required him to regularly report in to his local police. His name was originally unpublished. According to the ''

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

'', following his return he took ''"a customer service job with a firm with links to

Euro-Disney Disneyland Paris is an entertainment resort in Chessy, France, east of Paris. It encompasses two theme parks, resort hotels, Disney Nature Resorts, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex, and a golf course. Disneyland Park is the origi ...

resort in Paris"''. He sought an amendment to the control order's travel restrictions, because his new job would require training in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. When he didn't comply with the terms of his control order he was confined to a mental institution, while waiting for a hearing. The ''BBC'' reported that he entered the mental institution because he started to experience hallucinations and flashbacks, related to his torture. When the control order was first imposed the press was proscribed from publishing his name, and he was identified only as "AD". The ''BBC'' won the right to publish his name and excerpts from his diaries.

Alleged jihadist associates and alleged jihadist activities

Counter-terrorism official have asserted they are concerned that Zeeshan is an acquaintance of

Mohammad Sidique Khan Mohammad Sidique Khan (Urdu: ; October 20, 1974 – July 7, 2005) was a Pakistani-British terrorist and the oldest of the four Islamist suicide bombers and believed to be the leader responsible for the 7 July 2005 London bombings, in which bom ...

and

Omar Khyam Omar Khyam is a citizen of the United Kingdom, who led a terrorist plot in May 2007. He was trained in bomb-making at the Malakand training camp in Pakistan in 2001 or 2002. He was the ringleader of a plot to explode a fertilizer bomb in ...

. Mohammad Sidique Khan was the oldest of four suicide bombers who exploded bombs on London's underground on 7 July 2005. Omar Khyam was charged with leading another faile bomb plot. Counter-terrorism officials allege that he attended a military training camp with the two men. Counter-terrorism officials allege that he met

Abd Al Hadi al-Iraqi Nashwan Abdulrazaq Abdulbaqi al-Tamir (Arabic: نشوان عبدالرزاق عبدالباقي التامر), better known as Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi () is an Iraqi member of Al-Qaeda who is now in United States custody at Guantanamo Bay detention ...

, a senior

Al Qaida Al-Qaeda (; , ) is an Islamic extremist organization composed of Salafist jihadists. Its members are mostly composed of Arabs, but also include other peoples. Al-Qaeda has mounted attacks on civilian and military targets in various countri ...

leader. Zeeshan acknowledges traveling to Pakistan in 2003, but asserts that it was spiritual reasons, and claims he only participated in humanitarian work there.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Siddiqui, Zeeshan Anis Living people People deported from Pakistan British people of Pakistani descent Year of birth missing (living people)