City Kurds 'in fear' after two arrests

PLYMOUTH'S 2,000-strong Kurdish community said it was gripped by fear again today after two more men were arrested and hauled off to an immigration detention centre.

The men, 31-year-old Ali Pahir, from Eggbuckland, and 25-year-old Baspun Abdullah, from Stonehouse, were arrested on Tuesday morning as they turned up to 'sign on', as asylum seekers are bound to do, at Charles Cross police station.

The move brings the number of Kurdish men arrested for being failed asylum seekers this year in Plymouth to six.

However, three of those men have since been released and are now back in Plymouth pending the outcome of judicial review hearings.

Today Mr Pahir and Mr Abdullah were being kept in an unnamed immigration detention centre, probably near one of the big airports, the UK Border Agency confirmed, after being taken from Plymouth.

Members of Plymouth's Kurdish Community Association said the men's arrest had spread fear through the population.

Chairman Rizgar Ali said: "They were taken without any warning. The Kurdish people feel very bad.

"The fear is coming back to the Kurdish community.

"We are getting a lot of telephone calls from people. They say they can't stay in their houses, and they are not sure what is going to happen to them at the next minute."

Fear spread throughout the community earlier this year when there was an initial wave of arrests.

It started when 33-year-old Himen Abas was detained in February.

He was soon followed by 32-year-old Majid Ibrahim Amin and 31-year-old Karwan Mahmood.

Jizar Ahmad, aged 31, became the fourth detainee later that month.

Mr Amin, was put on a flight from Stansted to the city of Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan Autonomous Region, on February 16.

But the other three men were all released last month after launching bids for a judicial review.

A UK Border Agency spokesman said: "We would not remove anyone from the UK while there are any outstanding legal appeals. If the courts agree with us that an individual has no legal right to be in the UK, then they will be removed."

Mr Ali today said Mr Pahir had lived in the city for nine years, while Mr Abdullah had been here for seven years.

"Ali was very active in voluntary work for the Kurdish community in Plymouth," he said.