LONDON -- Convicted terrorists will no longer be eligible for early release from British prisons, the Ministry of Justice said Friday. The announcement followed news that Yassin Nassari, a London native who was imprisoned for a terrorism offense last year, was freed on Feb. 11 _ 17 days earlier than he was due to be released. Nassari was convicted and given a 3 1/2-year sentence after police found blueprints for a missile on his computer in 2006. He ended up spending about 21 months in custody, with the rest of his sentence to be served under probation. His custodial sentence was shortened by 17 days under Britain's early release program, which is intended to fight overcrowding in its prisons. He was eligible for the program because his sentence was less than four years. Lawmakers from the opposition Conservative Party decried his early release. "Releasing terrorists early, having served less than half of their sentence, because the government has failed to provide enough prison places isn't just incompetent _ it's a disgrace," Conservative lawmaker Nick Herbert said after news of Nassari's release became public Friday. Probation staff also expressed concern over the decision, with the probation officers' union Napo calling the early release program flawed. "Clearly, anyone convicted of terrorism should have been ruled out of the scheme," said Harry Fletcher, assistant general secretary of the union. The Ministry of Justice said in a statement that the criteria for the program would be changed to exclude those convicted under the country's terrorism laws. The announcement came as the ministry acknowledged Nassari was not the first convicted terrorist to benefit from early release. It said another prisoner was freed early Jan. 7, but provided no information about the man's identity or the precise offense he was convicted of. The ministry said there was no indication that either former prisoner had committed further offenses during the time cut from their sentences.
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