Al-Qaida plotters can stay in the UK

Abid Naseer and Ahmed Faraz Khan, both Pakistani nationals who were arrested last year in counter-terrorism raids but never charged, won their appeal against deportation at a hearing of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (Siac) in central London.

Mr Justice Mitting, chairman of Siac, said in a written ruling yesterday the panel was "satisfied" Naseer was an al-Qaida operative who "posed and still poses" a serious threat to the national security of the UK.

He said it would be "conducive to the public good" if the 24-year-old was deported but the tribunal was allowing his appeal because "the issue of safety on return" made it impossible to send him back to Pakistan.

The judge added that Faraz Khan – said to have undergone a "radical change of view" between leaving home and arriving in the UK – could "safely be taken to have been willing to participate" in Naseer's plans, but the 26-year-old's appeal was also was allowed on the grounds of his safety on return.

Following the ruling, Home Secretary Theresa May said "all possible measures" were being taken to ensure the men do not engage in terrorist activity.

"Protecting the public is the Government's top priority. We are disappointed that the court has ruled that Abid Naseer and Ahmad Faraz Khan should not be deported to Pakistan, which we were seeking on national security grounds.

"As the court agreed, they are a security risk to the UK. We are now taking all possible measures to ensure they do not engage in terrorist activity."

Two other Pakistani nationals arrested with Naseer and Faraz Khan – Tariq Ur Rehman, 39, and Abdul Wahab Khan, 27, who had returned to Pakistan – lost their appeal to return to the UK.

The Siac panel said it was satisfied on the balance of probabilities that Wahab Khan was a committed "Islamist extremist" and that he and Rehman were "knowing participants" in Naseer's plans.

One other man arrested in the raids, Shoaib Khan, 31, who had returned to Pakistan, won his appeal against deportation. The judge said the panel was satisfied he was not a "knowing party" to Naseer's plans.

The judgment comes after hundreds of officers carried out raids across north-west England in April last year over an alleged bomb plot in which 12 men were arrested – including 10 Pakistani nationals on student visas and one Briton.

The raids were brought forward following a blunder by Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick. He accidentally showed secret documents with details of the plan to photographers outside Downing Street.

Britain's most senior counter-terrorism officer later resigned.

Militant 'was to attack danish and dutch world cup teams'

An alleged al Qaida militant detained in Iraq said yesterday he was plotting to attack Danish and Dutch teams at the World Cup in South Africa.

He said he wanted to avenge insults against the Prophet Muhammad.

Iraqi security forces holding a Saudi citizen identified as Abdullah Azam Saleh al-Qahtani arranged for an Associated Press reporter to interview him at an unidentified government building in Baghdad.

He said he initially came to Iraq in 2004 to fight Americans and was recruited by al-Qaida.

An Iraqi security official said al-Qahtani was arrested after a joint US-Iraqi operation in April that killed the two top al Qaida in Iraq figures.

Documents found in the house where they were killed, including a note written by al-Qahtani detailing the World Cup plot, led to his arrest on May 3.