London, April 15: The British government has given Musa Kusa, dubbed Libyan regime’s “envoy of death” a UK visa that allows him temporary residence in Britain.
The six-month visa was issued following a request by Foreign Secretary William Hague from the Home Office and authorizes the “alleged war criminal” and former Muammar Gaddafi intelligence chief to freely travel to and from Britain, The Sun reported.
The disclosure came amid angry reactions to a decision by the government to allow Kusa leave Britain for Qatar, which critics said turned Britain into a “transit lounge for alleged war criminals”.
“Many people will be very anxious that Britain is being used as a transit lounge for alleged war criminals,” said Tory MP Robert Halfon.
Kusa is said to have been deeply involved in supplying arms to the IRA, the bombing of Pan American flight over the Scottish city of Lockerbie in 1988 and the murder of British WPC Yvonne Fletcher.
The Foreign Office has said he is “free to come and go as he pleases” while admitting there is no guarantee he will ever return to Britain after exiting the country.
Whitehall officials have claimed Kusa will not seek asylum in Britain but that was not convincing for the Tory MPs who slammed the decision as too lenient.
“Kusa has many questions to answer about links to IRA terrorists. Until he has answered all those he should not be allowed to come and go as he pleases,” Ben Wallace, the Wyre and Preston North MP, said.
The Home Office has given Kusa “Discretionary Leave to Remain” visa offered to asylum seekers pursuing their case to obtain a legitimate refugee status.
Turning that visa into an “Indefinite Leave to Remain” is considered the first step to British citizenship.
Libyan revolutionary forces representatives at the meeting of the contact group in Libya held in Qatar did not accepted to meet Kusa and denied him an invitation to the conference saying he has blood of thousands on his hand.
——–Agencies