http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,,1925252,00.html
Reid on the attack in missing terror suspects row Mark Oliver and agencies Wednesday October 18, 2006 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/> Guardian Unlimited As criticism over the disappearance of two terror suspects continued today, the home secretary attacked the Tories and Liberal Democrats for opposing tough anti-terror laws and ID cards. John Reid's remarks added to signs that the government was trying to use the row - over the disappearance of two of the 15 suspects who are supposed to be under control orders - to seek tougher powers. Opposition parties have been calling for Mr Reid to make a formal emergency statement about the disappearance of the men - said to be dangerous - to the Commons today. A Home Office spokeswoman said this morning that there were no plans for such a statement. However, Mr Reid did speak to reporters at a photocall in central London aimed at increasing support for controversial government plans for compulsory ID cards. He said: "The opposition in parliament is led by the Conservatives and the Liberals. They are the first to complain when things go wrong and the first to run away when very difficult decisions are made in parliament. "If they want to prove their credentials, why don't they vote in parliament for every single stronger measure that we bring to combat crime?" Mr Reid said a litmus test would be how the opposition parties decide to vote on forthcoming ID card legislation, which the home secretary said would be crucial in fighting terrorism. Critics of ID cards say they do not stop terrorism and point to attacks such as the train bombings in Madrid, where ID cards already exist. The first of the escapees is said to be an Iraqi suspected of being part of a terror cell. It is believed authorities lost track of him some months ago. Security chiefs regard him as potentially posing a serious risk. The second escape, two weeks ago, involved a 25-year-old British man who disappeared from a psychiatric health care unit in Isleworth, south-west London. He is said to have escaped by climbing out of a window. The Sun newspaper claimed today that the British suspect was questioned about alleged links with the suicide bombers who killed 52 commuters in London on July 7 last year. While being detained in Pakistan for more than six months last year, he was asked about whether he had met Shehzad Tanweer, the Aldgate bomber, the newspaper reported. The man had reportedly been arrested in Pakistan near the north-western city of Peshawar on charges of using fake identity documents. A Pakistan court acquitted him last December, ruling that the authorities could not prove the charges against him. The missing man claimed Pakistani officials tortured him during his detention. The Guardian <http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,,1924833,00.html> reported that the Iraqi man disappeared in the UK before police had served him with a control order. He should have had restrictions on his movement renewed on August 1 when a previous order ended, but police did not get to him in time, the Guardian learned. Control orders act as a loose form of house arrest, usually placing suspects under a curfew and requiring them to report regularly to police. They were brought in at the beginning of last year under the Prevention of Terrorism Act as a replacement for indefinite detention without trial or charge, and suspects handed orders cannot be identified. There have been demands for a full inquiry into the disappearances of the two men and criticism of the way the news was kept secret for weeks. Yesterday, the prime minister, Tony Blair, blamed opposition politicians and the courts for opposing terror legislation. At his monthly Downing Street press conference, Mr Blair said: "We, of course, wanted far tougher laws against terrorism. We were prevented by the opposition in parliament and then by the courts in ensuring that that was done." Mr Blair spoke after the policing and security minister, Tony McNulty, admitted that failings in the control orders system "need sorting out". A Home Office spokeswoman yesterday refused to disclose whether a review had begun - months after the first terror suspect fled - or to discuss how it might take place. The Tory home affairs spokesman, David Davis, told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme yesterday: "They should be a little more candid about what happened in these cases, have a proper review of what led to this failure ... not leap to conclusions. It's really rather surprising that we weren't told about this." He said ministers refused his offer of a deal to allow cooperation during the passage of the last terror laws. 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