This is why Islamic terrorism happens. It happens because terrorists operate in a culture of political, social and legal impunity. They exploit every weakness of their host society until the bodies begin to pile up.
The imam accused of masterminding the Barcelona terrorist attacks should have been deported at the end of his prison sentence for drug smuggling, but overturned the ruling by arguing it would breach his human rights, it has emerged.
Meanwhile the human rights of his victims don't matter.
Islamic preacher Abdelbaki Es Satty was told he must comply with an expulsion order when he left jail in April 2014, according to the Spanish daily, El Mundo.
But the 42-year-old Moroccan won an appeal against the decision after arguing his case in front of a judge.
The judge who made the decision is said to have accepted Es Satty's claims his forced removal would be a breach of his international rights.
The preacher followed up his court win by seeking asylum through lawyers in an application filed on November 29 2014, according to El Mundo.
The decision meant that he was able to move freely among the 26 EU countries that form part of the Schengen area.
That's significant because he was potentially placed in Brussels at the time of the airport bombing.
The human rights crowd would say that this is the price we pay for human rights. And yet, they would also champion prison for those who criticize Islam. Because human rights only work to protect Islamic terrorists. It's fine to set them aside when dealing with real threats. Like people who say negative things about the Koran on Facebook.
Just as progs in this country lecture us on how wrong it is to have religious preferences in refugee policy even as their refugee policy seems to tilt toward Muslims and disadvantage Christians.
There's a method to the madness. And it isn't at all a good one.