British government to officially ban Somali terrorist group al-Shabab

Britain to ban Somali terrorist group al-Shabab

LONDON — The British government said Monday it is banning Somali terrorist organization al-Shabab, an al-Qaida-linked Islamist group fighting the anarchic country’s transitional government.

British Home Secretary Alan Johnson said he had issued an order banning al-Shabaab. The order must be approved by Parliament before it goes into force, but that is largely a formality.

The ban would make membership in al-Shabab a criminal offense and bar Britons from raising money for the group.

Britain is home to one of the largest Somali communities in Europe, and terror experts have recently voiced concerned that the hardline group may be recruiting and raising money in the Somali community in the U.K.

In an interview published last year, MI5 director Jonathan Evans expressed concern that British residents were traveling to Somalia to fight on the extremist group’s behalf.

The most recent census put the number of Somalis living in the U.K. at about 43,000, but immigration experts believe the true figure is far higher.