A terrorist convict due for release within weeks called for a "year of fear" and posted comments saying there was "nothing wrong with chopping off heads of your enemies".

Sky News can reveal that the government is so concerned about the upcoming automatic release of Mohammed Zahir Khan that it is rushing through its emergency sentencing legislation to prevent it.

The 42-year-old shopkeeper from Sunderland was arrested as part of Operation Seabee in May 2017 after he posted tweets and Facebook statements supporting Islamic State and seeking to encourage terrorist attacks.

CCTV shows Streatham attacker pass shop

Khan had previously been arrested in June 2014 for social media postings expressing hatred for Shias and the West, but on that occasion was convicted of non-terrorist offences.

On 4 December 2016, he published a statement on his Twitter account calling for "death to Shias" - a rival sect of Islam.


On 30 December, he tweeted a series of images, one of which appeared to show a person aiming a firearm with the words "The Lone Mujahid [fighter]."

The next day he replied to another user: "NOTHING wrong with chopping off heads of your enemies."

On 2 January 2017 he published a statement on Twitter saying: "Welcome to the year of fear. IS will make this year the DEADLIEST EVER. Mr Kuffar [infidel] prepare for REAL WAR."

Terrorist Sudesh Amman walks Streatham street

Khan is the first of up to 20 terror prisoners due for release under automatic sentencing procedures in the next few months.

On Monday, the government promised to introduce emergency legislation to ensure those convicted of terror offences spend more time behind bars.

A Whitehall source has now confirmed that legislation will be introduced to parliament next Tuesday, with the specific aim of becoming law on 27 February, the day before Khan's release.

It will leave ministers just two weeks to ensure the emergency bill passes all its parliamentary stages.

About five more offenders are expected to be let out in March unless the new law is in force.

The rush to legislate these changes come after convicted terrorist Sudesh Amman wore a fake suicide belt as he grabbed a knife from a shop in Streatham High Road, south London, on Sunday.

He stabbed two bystanders before being shot dead by police.

Amman was under 24-hour police surveillance at the time.

Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Neil Basu had praised his officers for their actions but warned that "with 3,000 or so subjects of interest currently on our radar and many convicted terrorists soon due to be released from prison, we simply cannot watch all of them, all the time".

The 20-year-old had been jailed for possessing and distributing terrorist documents in December 2018, but was freed automatically halfway through his sentence less than a fortnight ago.

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On Monday, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said the urgent legislation was needed to make sure offenders serve two-thirds of their sentence before they are considered eligible for release.

At that point, he wants their case to be considered by a panel of specialist judges and psychiatrists on the Parole Board.

There are 224 terrorists in jail in Britain, with most thought to be holding Islamist extremist views, according to the latest published figures to the end of September.

Figures suggests that under current laws, up to 50 terrorists could be freed this year.