“It’s crazy and everybody knows me from my charitable work and now there has to be explanations, but I’m glad to be home.” Mr Islam described as “very kind” the intervention of the Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, who protested to the US government about the incident.Mr Straw told the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, on Wednesday that the decision to remove Mr Islam from the country “should not have been taken”. Yusuf Islam, formerly the pop singer known as Cat Stevens, arrived back in Britain yesterday, saying he was “totally shocked” at his deportation from the United States. He had been travelling to Washington when his flight was diverted 600 miles away to Maine, where he was questioned by the FBI and ordered to leave the country.”Half of me wants to smile, half of me wants to growl,” said the former singer, who converted to Islam in the 1970s. Lord Goldsmith had held that prosecutions might be put at risk by a parallel public inquiry, saying that one charge which may be brought, that of attempting to pervert the course of justice, would be tried by a jury and not a judge.He also argued that an inquiry would rehearse a witness in answering questions, declaring: “This preparation for cross-examination will deprive the criminal court of a witness’s genuine reaction and answer when confronted.”His view is that the issues raised by the Stevens inquiry are “too serious to brush aside questions of prosecution”. Lord Goldsmith said he was determined to see the issues “vigorously pursued, regardless of the position or seniority of the alleged offender.”.

The most common accusation flung against the authorities is that they are intent on constant postponement in a case that now goes back 15 years. To this will be added the allegation that the idea of a full public inquiry is now to be diluted.Judicial rulings during the ongoing Bloody Sunday Inquiry in Londonderry excluded some evidence because it could compromise national security or put the lives of agents at risk. This can only leave not only my family but all concerned citizens with deep dread as to what the Government really intends to do.”The case of the killing of the solicitor, who was shot in Belfast in 1989, has for years generated concern in legal circles, with a thousand legal figures from all over the world calling for a public inquiry.He was killed by the loyalist Ulster Defence Association, but there have been numerous indications of involvement by security figures, and a Canadian judge brought in to review the case recommended a public inquiry.Given that the Finucane family and many of the campaigners harbour the deepest suspicions about the intentions of the authorities, the lack of detail in the inquiry announcement can be expected to produce a clamour for clarification. There are suggestions that the inquiry could be held mostly in private.Mr Finucane’s son Michael said: “This leaves me with serious concerns.

This fuelled speculation last night that security witnesses and documents might not see the light of day during the new inquiry. He said the inquiry would take place on the basis of new legislation, so that it would be held “in a way that takes into account the public interest, including the requirements of national security”.In a Belfast context, the citing of national security has in the past signalled the non-disclosure of sensitive information. The Government declared its intention yesterday to hold an inquiry into the murder of the Belfast lawyer Pat Finucane, one of the most controversial killings of the Northern Ireland Troubles. They were inspired by the German painter Gerhard Richter, famous for 48 Portraits , a giant work portraying famous figures.Working with the photographer Rose Butler, the staff used 35mm cameras to portray their daily lives and work on the Underground with the aim of encouraging passengers to view them as individuals and not just a uniform.Liz O’Sullivan, head of Platform for Art, a London Underground unit dedicated to art and community art projects, said working with the Whitechapel had seemed an obvious move.The results can now be seen on the walls of Aldgate East station, directly below the Whitechapel Gallery.Cathy MacTaggart, duty station manager at Aldgate East, who took part, said: “Hopefully the project shows us as real people doing an important job.”. Whether breaking bad news about delays on the Northern Line or smoothing out problems with faulty tickets, staff at London Underground sometimes have an unenviable job.