British citizen linked to terrorist organization expelled from Finland: report

A British citizen with Kurdish background has been deported from Finland, because he was alleged to have constituted a serious threat to the country's security, reported Finnish daily Turun Sanomat on Thursday.

According to official information received by Turun Sanomat, the deportation took place at the end of December last year.

The Turku resident Awat Hamasalih, who moved from Britain to Finland in April 2013, was believed to have played a leading role in the radical group Ansar al-Islam.

Established at the beginning of the 2000s, Ansar al-Islam is a violent rebel group that operates in Iraq and Syria.

Hamasalih spread propaganda and attempted to recruit persons to join terrorist organizations, said the newspaper.

The Kurdish community in Finland initially informed the security police about indications of Hamasalih's extremist inclination, and requested to deport him from Finland.

The Finnish Security Intelligence Service (Supo) recommended in August 2013 to expel the man, and the Finnish Immigration Service made an initial decision in January 2014.

Hamasalih appealed to Turku Appeals court, but lost. He again appealed to the Supreme Administrative Court. In court proceedings he denied all accusations against him.

The Supreme Administrative Court has not made an verdict on the case, but allowed the deportation to be implemented. Endit