British police opened a formal investigation yesterday into comments by a spokesman for a London-based Islamic fundamentalist group that the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, was a "legitimate target" for Muslims.
The comments were made by Mr Abdul Rehman Saleem, of the radical Al-Muhajiroun group.
"We can confirm that we are formally investigating alleged comments made by Abdul Rehman Saleem," a police spokesman said.
"We continue to monitor comments made by other individuals and are in close consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS)." He said it would be a decision for the CPS whether or not to prosecute. A case could be brought under a number of legislative headings, including incitement to violence.
"Because the allies, the British and the Americans and possibly the French are going to bomb or have started bombing the Muslims of Afghanistan ... the government buildings here, the military installations, including 10 Downing Street, become legitimate targets," Mr Saleem said on Tuesday. "That includes the cabinet and it includes the Prime Minister as well, Tony Blair. He also becomes a legitimate target."
"I'm not going to shed any tears for him," Mr Saleem said, adding that "if any Muslim wants to assassinate him, wants to get rid of him ... from the Islamic point of view, this person is not going to be chastised, this person is not going to be punished ... this person will be praised." The leader of Al-Muhajiroun, Sheikh Omar Bakri Muhammed, has claimed the comments were taken out of context. The organisation claims to have about 7,000 members in Britain, mainly among the student population.