A terrorist who plotted to kidnap and behead a British soldier could be out of prison in weeks – despite fears he will carry out another attack. In the latest terror parole scandal, Parviz Khan has been referred to the Parole Board and could soon be back on the streets. Khan was claiming £20,000 in benefits a year while saying he was a full-time carer for his elderly mother during the time he plotted to kidnap a serviceman and decapitate him “like a pig”.

It came after the Sunday Express revealed last weekend that dangerous extremists Salahuddin Amin and Omar Khyam had also been referred to the board.

The pair plotted to kill hundreds by blowing up a string of high-profile targets including Bluewater shopping centre in Kent and the Ministry of Sound nightclub in London with fertiliser-based explosives. And another terrorist who wanted to blow up a Territorial Army base will be officially released in weeks, despite two experts saying he should remain in prison.

Now the board is looking at the case of Parviz Khan, who was jailed for life with a minimum of 14 years in 2008 after pleading guilty to plotting the plan. Khan, 55, of Birmingham, also admitted intending to supply equipment to terrorists on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. While in prison he has completed courses aimed at addressing his behaviour.

But previous attempts at parole have been refused after experts found “problems with his self-identity, and (he) had needed the excitement and status which involvement in terrorist conspiracies had provided. This raised concerns about his ways of thinking and the decisions he made.”

A subsequent conviction for violence in prison “suggested possible anger management problems and difficulties in dealing with extremes of emotion”. Jade Clough, a survivor of the Manchester Arena bomb attack in 2017, said: “These cases are beyond belief. I cannot understand why these people are being considered for release and in many cases, released. It’s appalling.

“I find it horrific. If he is released, he could carry out an attack.”

A spokesperson for the Parole Board said: “We can confirm the parole review of Parviz Khan has been referred to the Parole Board by the Secretary of State for Justice and is following standard processes.

“Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community. A panel will carefully examine a huge range of evidence, including details of the original crime, and any evidence of behaviour change, as well as explore the harm done and impact the crime has had on the victims.

“Members read and digest hundreds of pages of evidence and reports in the lead up to an oral hearing.”

They added: “Evidence from witnesses such as probation officers, psychiatrists and psychologists, officials supervising the offender in prison as well as victim personal statements may be given at the hearing.

“It is standard for the prisoner and witnesses to be questioned at length during the hearing which often lasts a full day or more. Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.”