Latest inquest found that 35-year-old Aktar Uddin from East London died after a UK government terror order had a substantial impact on his mental state.
A man detained under the Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures (TPIM), issued by the Home Office under the counsel of MI5, is suspected of taking his own life after experiencing severe difficulties during his imprisonment.
Aktar Hussain Uddin, a 35-year-old man from East London, is suspected of taking his own life on Christmas Day in 2021. He has never been convicted of terror-related offences.
Report Uncovers Lack of Support
Uddin was jailed for breaching restrictions imposed by his TPIM, which can limit major aspects of a person’s life, including cash withdrawals and their radius of movement. Suspects are electronically tagged and can be relocated to different parts of the country.
These actions can put a strain on a person’s mental health, something Jonathan Hall KC, an Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, concurs with in a 2022 review of the Terrorism Act. He said: “The Home Office recognises poor mental health as a dominant feature amongst recent TPIM subjects.”
In a 2023 report, he noted that, similarly to the findings of the 2022 report, there was evidence of “poor mental health and neurodivergence (autism)” among the TPIM cohort. Autistic people often display signs of an inability to cope in stressful situations, with suicide being a major concern amongst people on the spectrum.
Mr Uddin is said to have taken actions that may have contributed to ending his own life, though it appears unclear if he intended to.
Allegations of Extremism
Suspects subject to TPIM rules often do not know why they’re placed under special measures, another factor that could contribute to a depressive mental state.
It is alleged that — according to MI5 — Mr Uddin associated with individuals who were involved in extremist activity. Mr Uddin believed he was placed under the TPIM due to statements he made under the influence of drugs, but he insisted he was not a terrorist.
2026 Inquest Findings
A jury in a 2026 inquest found that TPIM-imposed restrictions significantly impact their subjects. Uddin’s family lawyers released a statement today revealing that the investigation found that TPIMs “had a substantial impact on the deceased’s mental state”, that prison services were unaware of the impact of the restrictions on Uddin, and that there was a “failure to provide the deceased with the support required”.
A governor at HMP Wandsworth accepted the evidence, admitting that his staff’s lack of awareness of TPIMs resulted in “unintentionally cruel” treatment of Uddin.
Aktar Uddin’s family released a statement via their lawyer: “The deceased’s family welcome these findings, which send a clear message that these measures have gone too far, and have devastating consequences for individuals and their families. Although nothing can bring back their loving son, brother and uncle, they hope that this will make a real difference to those who are currently at the mercy of this inhumane regime.”
The HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ own 2024 report found HMP Wandsworth in particular was unsafe. The inquiry found that ten self-inflicted deaths had occurred since its previous inspection in September 2021.
Mr Uddin’s sister, Jasmine, told the inquest that MI5 officers interrogated him while in prison and told him he would never be released from the TPIM.
Since the September 11 attacks, the Muslim community in particular has been put under heavy pressure and surveillance by the British authorities, including MI5, the country’s counter-intelligence agency. Some agents have been deployed on undercover assignments to detect extremist activity, though the success of these operations is highly debated. Research has found that extremism intensifies due to foreign interventions and policies, though this is rarely considered.
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