Moazzam Begg, from Sparkhill, was subject to claims he was at the same Syrian training camp as so-called Jihadi John, unmasked last month as Mohammed Emwazi. But CAGE, the campaign group for which Mr Begg is Director of Outreach, have released a statement branding the allegations “unsubstantiated”.
In a video posted on YouTube last week by CAGE, Begg reiterates accusations that UK security services are to blame for the rise of Islamic State.
Speaking at a community event, Begg says: “This government and the previous government are the ones who gave us ISIS.
“I’ll say that again. MI6 isn’t responsible for creating, for making Jihadi John execute those men, of course they’re not.
“They’re responsible for something much bigger. They’re responsible for the creation of ISIS, that gave him the order to execute.”
Begg also talks about his own attempts to negotiate for the release of Islamic State hostages and claims that British police bugged his car. He describes meeting Foreign Office officials while he was in Belmarsh Prison to discuss how to free the British hostage Alan Henning.
