A British tourist who was kidnapped by an Islamist gang in Yemen has said a convicted terrorist linked to the ordeal is not fit to stand for election in Birmingham. Eric Firkins was among 16 Western tourists taken hostage in 1998 by militants demanding the release of Shahid Butt and his co-accused. Four hostages were killed during a rescue attempt, and Mr Firkins said he narrowly escaped death.

Shahid Butt was convicted in 1999 of conspiring to bomb Western targets in Yemen, including the British consulate in Aden, and was sentenced to five years in prison. The court heard he had trained with militants after being sent to Yemen by radical preacher Abu Hamza. Butt served his full sentence and returned to the United Kingdom in 2003. There is no public record of his conviction being overturned.

Now standing as an independent candidate in Birmingham's Sparkhill ward, Butt says he has rejected extremism and spent more than two decades working to steer young people away from radicalisation. Mr Firkins disputes this, saying Butt does not sound genuine in his claims and should not represent a democratic community. Butt has dismissed the criticism, saying opponents will never accept Muslims who remain firm in their faith while integrating into British society.