Amjad Farooq, 39, a father of five, was told he was a threat to national security because his two children - aged 9 and 11, had allegedly attended a mosque associated with a Muslim cleric linked to a suspected terrorist group.
The officer was also told that his presence might upset the American secret service which worked closely with the Met's close-protection group, The Independent daily reported today.
His case raises further concerns about the treatment of Muslim firearms officers working in Metropolitan Police Force. Farooq was a firearms specialist working for the Wiltshire Constabulary when he was transferred to the Diplomatic Protection Group SO16 (DPG) whose main role is to provide static protection at government, diplomatic and Metropolitan Police sites.
All officers within the DPG are required to undergo security vetting including a counter-terrorism check (CTC). Farooq was told he would not be transferred until he had received full counter-terrorism clearance.
On December 16, 2003, he was approached by a detective chief superintendent from Special Branch who informed him that he had failed his CTC. By then, Farooq had been working for the DPG for six weeks.
The Met told the officer that they had evidence to justify the refusal of the CTC and referred to the fact that Farooq's children had attended their local mosque for religious studies when the building was associated with an imam whom the police suspected of links to an extremist Islamic group. Farooq strongly denies any such links or inappropriate behaviour.
At a tribunal to be held next year, Farooq is expected to say that his colleagues had said words to the effect of "what will the American secret service make of him when he turns up there?" (referring to the likelihood that Farooq would be posted on duty at the US embassy in Grosvenor Square, London).
The officer is the first person to have his CTC vetting status withdrawn, the report said. Farooq later challenged the decision to remove his CTC by lodging an appeal with the Security Vetting Appeal Panel which is administered by the Cabinet Office, headed by the Prime Minister.
