A CONVICTED terrorist claims he was offered a reduced jail term in return for dropping claims that British security agents colluded in his torture.

Rangzieb Ahmed, 33, claims officers from Greater Manchester Police and MI5 visited him in prison to try to persuade him to withdraw claims his fingernails were pulled out under interrogation in Pakistan.

In December, Ahmed, from Rochdale, became the first person in Britain to be convicted of directing terrorist activities and was jailed for life at Manchester Crown Court. He was found guilty of heading a three-man al-Qaida cell preparing to commit mass murder. He denies being a member of al-Qaida.

He claims to have been tortured in Pakistan, where he was detained, and has accused GMP of colluding in this.

However, senior security sources today blasted the whole story as 'utter rubbish'. Privately, anti-terror chiefs are outraged at the claims and say there is no conceivable reason why they would wish to make Ahmed change his story after convictiion.

His lawyer Tayab Ali said: "Mr Ahmed says a police officer and a man who described himself as a security services officer came into his cell in Manchester Prison and told him he could have a reduction in his sentence or a cash payment in return for dropping torture allegations."

GMP and the Home Office refute the allegations.

Guilty

Mr Ali said: "I've written to the Crown Prosecution Service asking them to disclose the identity of the officers who visited my client. If what Mr Ahmed says is true, the officers would be guilty of attempting to pervert the course of justice."

Ahmed was jailed along with Manchester taxi driver Habib Ahmed, who was found guilty of being a member of al-Qaida.

The Home Office said it did not comment on individual cases. A spokesman said: "Security service officers act within the law. The government unreservedly condemns the use of torture and works hard with its international partners to eradicate this abhorrent practice worldwide.

"The security and intelligence agencies do not participate in, solicit, encourage or condone the use of torture or inhumane or degrading treatment. For reasons both ethical and legal, their policy is not to carry out any action which they know would result in torture or inhuman or degrading treatment."

Greater Manchester Police refused to confirm or deny whether any of its officers had been to see Ahmed at the prison.

But Chief Supt Tony Porter, head of the North West Counter-Terrorism Unit, said: "The North West Counter Terrorism Unit does not participate in, solicit, encourage or condone the use of torture or inhumane or degrading treatment. For reasons both ethical and legal, their policy is not to carry out any action which they know would result in torture or inhuman or degrading treatment.

"The case of Rangzieb Ahmed has been heard in court. The judges considered the allegations of UK complicity in mistreatment and made clear that there was no evidence for this."