Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed was last seen on Friday afternoon at a west London mosque

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Counter-terrorism police are searching for a man who went missing after breaching the terms of a terrorism prevention measure used to restrict the movements of suspects.

Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed was last seen on Friday afternoon at a mosque – the An-Noor Masjid and Community Centre in Church Road, Acton, west London – after going there in the morning and later changing into a burqa.

The Somali born 27-year-old is not considered at present to represent a direct threat to the public, according to a statement issued by Scotland Yard, which released CCTV images, including one in which he is wearing what the police described as "traditional Islamic clothing".

Mohamed – described as 5ft 8ins tall and of medium build – was last seen at 3.15pm inside the mosque, according to the force.

He was subject to a Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measure (TPIM) notice, a measure introduced to replace control orders, which can be used to restrict the movements of individuals and their ability to associate or communicate with others.

Labour earlier this year raised questions about TPIMs, which are used in cases of individuals who cannot be tried for reasons of national security or who cannot be deported, after another suspect absconded last Christmas.

The man had previously been subject to the control order regime, which was replaced by TPIMs in January.

The Home Office insisted that his disappearance was not linked to the switch, although the shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, questioned whether allowing him to return to London under a TPIM contributed to his disappearance.

Scotland Yard's counter-terrorism command launched inquiries to trace Mohamed following his disappearance. His photograph and details were circulated nationally and ports and borders were notified.

Following a police request, an anonymity order imposed by a court was also lifted on Saturday to allow for an appeal for help from the public in tracing him.

"Anyone who sees Mr Mohamed or knows of his whereabouts should not approach him, but call 999 immediately," the police said.

"If anyone has other information which they think could be relevant to police efforts to trace Mr Mohamed they should contact the confidential anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321."

David Anderson QC, the government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said on Sunday night that he would not be commenting, for now, on the disappearance of Mohamed.

However, he highlighted information on his office's website, showing that of the 10 men subject to TPIMs during 2012, nine were British nationals. Four had previously been charged with terrorism offences and acquitted by a jury.

Cooper described the situation as "extremely serious" and called for Anderson to investigate urgently.

"Given the longstanding concerns about the replacement of control orders, the limitations of TPIMs and the pressures on monitoring and surveillance, the home secretary needs to provide rapid information about the extent and adequacy of the restrictions on Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed and ask the independent reviewer David Anderson to investigate urgently what has happened," she said.

Criminal charges against a number of individuals subject to TPIMs for allegedly breaching their terms by tampering with their GPS tags were dropped on Friday after no evidence was offered by the authorities.

Anderson said that he would be dealing with the latest abscondment, and one that took place last Christmas, in his 2014 report.