Sufean Kamal, the son of notorious hate cleric Abu Hamza, is engaged in a legal battle with British intelligence services over the revocation of his citizenship. Kamal, 31, was stripped of his British nationality after intelligence agencies concluded he had been fighting with jihadi groups in Syria and posed a threat to national security.
Kamal, who was born in Britain, was allegedly welcomed by Syrian jihadi groups due to his father's notoriety as a preacher in the West. His lawyers contend that the intelligence assessment used to revoke his citizenship was inaccurate and that stripping him of his nationality violates his human rights to family life, as his wife and children reside in the UK. Kamal himself denies fighting for Al Qaeda or any extremist factions, asserting that he fought alongside rebels against the Assad regime with the Free Syrian Army, a group previously supported by Western nations. He claims his intention was to fight against terrorists, not to become one.
The case was heard at the Special Immigration Appeals Commission, where MI5 presented classified intelligence to a panel of judges. An intelligence officer, identified only as MT, provided evidence against Kamal from behind a screen, while Kamal participated in the proceedings via video link from Syria. Court documents indicate that Kamal traveled to Syria in April 2013. By 2016, MI5 had gathered sufficient evidence to advise the then Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, to revoke Kamal's citizenship, citing a significant risk he would use his experiences in Syria to aid UK-based extremists.
The court documents also reveal that Kamal attempted to return to the UK in January 2019 from Istanbul but was detained in Turkey for two years. Turkish authorities interrogated him regarding his activities in Syria and attempted to deport him to Morocco, where he could claim citizenship through his mother. He currently resides in Syria.
Kamal's father, Abu Hamza, a former imam at Finsbury Park Mosque in London, was extradited to the US and sentenced to life in prison in 2014 for terror offenses. Of Abu Hamza's six sons, four have criminal records for offenses including terrorism, armed robbery, drug dealing, fraud, and burglary, amassing over 40 years in British prisons collectively. The remaining two sons have a history of extremist associations.
Kamal stated in 2017 that he had never been a threat to national security in Britain and that his citizenship should not be revoked solely due to his relationship with Abu Hamza.
The legal proceedings are ongoing.