Taliban supporters may lose passports

British Muslims bound for Pakistan in the hope of joining the Taliban could have their passports seized to stop them leaving the country, a Government minister confirmed today.

The drastic measure is being considered in the wake of the deaths of a number of Britons caught in the bombing of Afghanistan after going to fight for Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban.

Two men from Luton and one from Crawley have been confirmed dead and the London-based extremist Al-Muhajiroun group claims two others were "martyred" in Allied bombing of Kabul.

In theory it would be possible to prosecute anyone returning to Britain who had fought against the Allied forces or been trained for terrorism in Afghanistan.

The courts can order the surrender of passports belonging to football hooligans and drug offenders, but the Home Secretary also has limited powers to do so.

Home Office Minister Angela Eagle said passports can be removed in rare cases where someone's "past or proposed activities are so demonstrably undesirable that the grant or continued enjoyment of the facility would be contrary to the public interest".

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