A MAN convicted for plotting to blow up western tourists in the Middle East has been employed by a company involved in maintenance work on the Tube network.

Mohammed Kamel Mostafa, 25, who lives in Wembley is the son of radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza, who is himself in prison in England.

Mostafa served a three-year prison sentence in Yemen after a trial in 1999.

But he passed all of the Tube's security checks.

He worked on the Jubilee Line as a labourer and had a security pass that gave him access to restricted areas.

These included tunnels under Westminster and sections of the line that pass directly beneath the Houses of Parliament.

He has now been sacked by the company, but initially the Mayor of London defended his right to the job.

Speaking at his weekly press conference at City hall on Tuesday, Ken Livingstone said: "Has he broken any laws here in Britain?

"The answer is no'.

We are happy to have him working for us.

"No one can be blamed for what their parents do.

"All we ask is that they respect the law of the land and do not hurt anyone."

Abu Hamza has been widely condemned by both Muslims and others for preaching hatred and violence against non-Muslims.

He was jailed for seven years in February for incitement to murder and inciting racial hatred and is serving his sentence in the top security Belmarsh prison in Kent.

Mr Livingstone added: "In this country a person cannot be sacked for what their parents do.

"It is the actions of Mohammed Kamel Mostafa himself which are relevant."

But Harrow East MP Tony McNulty, a Home office minister, said: "It is wholly inappropriate that this individual was employed in this fashion and we need to make sure that all employers of people who work on the Underground vet their staff properly."

The Conservative Shadow Home secretary David Davies echoed these sentiments.

But hours later, Mr Livingstone performed a U-turn.

He said: "Mr Mostafa has convictions in Yemen.

"These must be taken into account. "They should have been brought to light by those doing the security checks, and the failure to do so must be investigated.

"As he failed to declare these to the subcontractor they are correct to dismiss him."

A spokesman for London Underground said that it was down to the subcontractor who employed Mostafa to ensure that employees passed security checks.

He said: "The question of whether the checks were tight enough is a matter for the Government to address.

"We don't do criminal checks on every single individual who comes on to London Underground."

aali@london.newsquest.co.uk