Afghan migrant wanted for murder in EU slipped into UK

An Afghan migrant wanted for questioning about a murder in has been apprehended in the UK.

The 28-year-old was arrested by officers of the (NCA) extradition unit and taken to Westminster Magistrates Court for extradition proceedings.

The court heard that he is wanted under a European Arrest Warrant for questioning about a murder in August in Hamburg.

It is not clear how he made it into the UK or if he arrived via a small boat across the Channel.

The NCA has been approached for comment about the circumstances of the arrest.

But, it means that he was able to leave Germany and get into the UK while a murder suspect, raising fresh fears about border security.

A CPS spokesman said: "The arrest warrant says he's an national of Afghanistan.

"He is alleged to have murdered an individual in Hamburg, Germany in August 2024.

"The German authorities have sought his extradition for the purposes of conducting a criminal prosecution for the crime that he has alleged to have committed."

At a brief hearing at the Westminster court, the man did not contest extradition and consented to be sent back to Germany.

He was remanded in custody until he is extradited with the court recording that it was due to the likelihood of him otherwise absconding due to his lack of community ties and the nature and seriousness of the offence and the likely long sentence if convicted.

It is the latest in a series of cases where people in the EU, or further afield, wanted for serious crimes, including murders, have been able to as exposed by Express.co.uk this year.

In response to our findings earlier this year, Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, said: "It is high time the Government looked closely at the ease with which criminals and fugitives not only enter the country illegally but also, in some cases, get to stay."

And David Spencer, research director of the Centre for Crime Prevention, added: "The cases are the tip of the iceberg. It is a damning indictment of the failure of the Home Office and the UK Border Agency that such people were able to just walk into this country unchecked."