Terror suspect's escape in a burqa prompts British surveillance review

A Somali-born man who escaped from special police surveillance by disguising himself in a burqa has exposed shortcomings in the way Britain handles some terrorism suspects, prompting an embarrassed government to announce a review.

Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed, who is suspected of having links with Somali Islamist group al-Shabab, gave authorities the slip last Friday by donning the full-length woman's religious garment while attending prayers at a London mosque.

It was the second time a terrorism suspect had absconded in the past 10 months and the main opposition Labour Party blamed new government rules it said made it easier for such people to evade surveillance.

"There will of course be a review ... and any lessons that need to be learned will be," Theresa May, the interior minister, told parliament.

"A number of operational issues will be looked at," she said.

Mohamed, a British citizen, was subject to special control measures used in a small number of serious cases where it is not possible to prosecute or deport someone suspected of terrorism-related activity due to a lack of usable evidence.

That meant he had to wear an electronic tag so that the authorities could track his whereabouts and was subject to other forms of surveillance as well as restrictions such as curfews and regular home searches.