A jihadist terror funder has been spirited out of Scotland to an English prison.
Former asylum seeker Nasserdine Menni this year ended a three-year in Scottish sentence for helping to fund a suicide bombing in Sweden in 2010.
After serving his time the Algerian national remained locked up in Low Moss jail in East Dunbartonshire as the Home Office tried to remove him from the UK.
Menni has been transferred out of Scotland. He was last thought to be in Durham Jail rather than in an immigration detention centre pending a legal dispute over his extradition.
The Herald understands there were security concerns about detaining Menni in a facility for immigration offenders, such as Dungavel in Lanarkshire.
Menni. pictured below, had launched twin legal actions against the UK Government in Scottish courts.
The first was against deportation to Algeria, where Amnesty International and other organisations have warned of torture and other human rights abuses.
His second case sought his release from jail pending a decision on his removal.
The Home Office refuses to comment on individual cases and did not say why Menni had been moved from Scotland to England.
He is no longer understood to be fighting through Scottish courts and has lost his Scottish legal representation.
It is understood that he continues to oppose deportation to Algeria, although a deportation order has been obtained by the UK authorities.
The UK is understood to have sought assurances from the North African state that Menni - who fled that country years ago - would not be tortured upon his return.
It is a breach of human rights laws to send somebody to a country where they have a risk of being tortured or killed.
Legal insiders have said they believe British authorities now feel caught in a judicial Catch 22 that could take years to resolve: for the time being they can neither deport Menni, nor, for security reasons, can they release him.
His substantial prison bill, meanwhile, will now be met by the English rather than Scottish authorities.
Menni, who is in his early 40s, had previously lied about both his name and nationality.
He was initially jailed for seven years in 2012 after being found guilty of supporting suicide bomber Taimour Abdulwahab, who blew himself up in Stockholm in December 2010 in a bid to kill Christmas shoppers.
Abdulwahab died in the blast and two other people were hurt, sending a wave of horror throughout the Nordic world.
Menni had deposited £5,725 to help pay for Abdulwahab's trips for "jihad" and sent another £1,000 to the Iraqi-born Swede's wife after his death. Menni is the only person to be convicted in respect of the Stockholm bombing and there remains substantial interest in his fate in Sweden.
Swedish security police assisted Scottish and UK agencies in their investigation in to Menni.
Despite his conviction, Menni has never admitted his guilt. Menni's lawyers have argued there was no evidence of incriminating communication between him and Abdulwahab.
Last summer his sentence was cut on appeal from seven years to three. Conservative politicians said that this shorter sentence was too lenient.
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