Manfo Asiedu, a central figure in the failed 2005 London bombing plot, has been deported to Ghana after serving just 16 years of his 33-year prison sentence.

Asiedu, now 53, was part of a group that attempted to bomb London's transport network on July 21, 2005, just two weeks after the devastating 7/7 attacks.

The plot failed due to miscalculations in the explosives, and Asiedu was arrested and sentenced in 2007 for his involvement. During the trial, he admitted to purchasing bomb-making materials but insisted the plot was meant as a protest against the Iraq war and was not intended to cause harm. He claimed to have discarded the explosives in a West London park before the attack.

Asiedu's release and deportation, reported earlier this year by The Sun, has sparked outrage. Conservative MP Mark Francois expressed his dismay, stating, "Given the number murdered on 7/7, it's obscene that anyone involved in a similar plot should be released early, whether subsequently deported or not. This is a truly awful decision."

Throughout his trial, Asiedu tried to distance himself from his co-conspirators, rejecting their defense that the suicide bombing plot was merely a hoax. He portrayed himself as an unwitting participant who believed the devices were fake until the night before the planned attack.

Asiedu, who claimed to have used the name Sumailia Abubakhari, also told the court that he was born to a Muslim father, who owned a pharmacy and construction company, and a Christian businesswoman mother.

Four other men involved in the plot—Muktar Said Ibrahim, Ramzi Mohammed, Yassin Omar, and Hussain Osman—were found guilty and sentenced to a minimum of 40 years in prison.

Reports suggest that Asiedu agreed to deportation under the Facilitated Returns Scheme, a program aimed at expediting the return of foreign nationals convicted of crimes in the UK. It was noted during his 2007 sentencing that he might serve only half the prison term handed to his accomplices. Photo by Francis Tyers, Wikimedia commons.