London – A British court on Friday sentenced a police officer to seven years in prison after he was convicted of causing a major terrorism alert by making a hoax call to his own force.
West Midlands Police said Amar Hussain, 29, sparked a major national security alert in 2014 by making an anonymous call to the emergency operator.
They added that he claimed that terrorists were about to kidnap a Muslim police officer.
“It sparked a huge police response and subsequent investigation which led to a suspect being arrested within 24 hours by counter-terrorism detectives,’’ the force said.
In addition, two accomplices, Adil Bashir, 26, and Muhammad Ali Sheikh, 31, were handed three-year prison sentences for their role in the hoax.
The police force said that all the three men were convicted of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
Assistant Chief Constable Marcus Beale said that the plot was part of an attempt by the trio to discredit colleagues from an Islamic community organisation that they were all members.
“Today’s sentencing reflects the severity of what Hussain did.
“He not only let down West Midlands Police, he has also let down the peaceful organisation, non-political organisation, that he was part of.
“The impact of the threat had an unprecedented effect on officers and staff and in turn on their loved ones,’’ Beale said. (dpa/NAN)
