Glasgow Airport terrorism attack led to concern for NHS workers, new papers show

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Scottish ministers were concerned about NHS staff being “victimised as a group” after the Glasgow Airport attack, new papers show.The attack on June 30 2007, where two men rammed a car filled with propane tanks into the doors of the airport, resulted in the death of one of the attackers and injuries to five people.One of the terrorists, Bilal Abdullah, was working as a doctor at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley as a diabetes specialist when the attack was committed.Members of the public who witnessed the attack stepped in to aid police in apprehending Abdullah and his accomplice Kafeel Ahmed, who would later die from injuries sustained in the attack.Both men were also linked to car bombs discovered in London the previous day, with Abdullah eventually convicted of conspiracy to murder and sentenced to life in prison with an order to serve at least 32 years.A number of other suspects were also linked to the health service, although they were not convicted of involvement.Papers released by National Records of Scotland from cabinet meetings at the time show concerns raised by ministers over the potential demonisation of NHS staff as a result of the attack and Abdullah’s links to the health service.Papers of the cabinet meeting held on July 3 2007 show ministers discussed background checks for healthcare workers coming in from abroad – although Abdullah was born in England and qualified as a doctor in Iraq.The ministers – led by then first minister Alex Salmond in the first months of his tenure – also spoke of potential impacts on the health service of the attack.“Second, was the need to avoid healthcare workers in any way being victimised as a group because of the connection to the profession of the individuals