(BBC) Investigating terror attacks like the Manchester bombing can feel like being “repeatedly punched in the face,” a counter-terrorism officer has said. Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu was the UK’s senior national co-ordinator for counter-terrorism at the time of the 2017 atrocity, which […]
(BBC) A fear of seeming rude can prevent criticism of emergency services’ performance, the Manchester Arena inquiry has heard. The probe into the 2017 bombing has been listening to evidence from the Greater Manchester Resilience Forum. It heard a terrorist firearms exercise […]
(BBC) A man accused of assaulting a security guard at a former Kent barracks where asylum seekers are held has appeared in court. Mohammed Ali, 22, was arrested on Friday — the day a fire broke out in one of the accommodation […]
(BBC) Five men have been arrested after a fire at a former barracks where asylum seekers are being held. Kent Police said one man was held on suspicion of assaulting a security guard and four in connection with the fire at Napier […]
(BBC) A fire at a former army barracks housing hundreds of asylum seekers was started deliberately, police have said. Emergency services were sent to Napier Barracks in Folkestone at 14:00 GMT after “reports of a disturbance.” The Home Office said people had […]
(BBC) Seventeen migrants reached the UK after crossing the English Channel on two small boats, the Home Office said. A further 78 people were picked up by the French authorities on Thursday after trying to make the cross-Channel journey on four boats. […]
(BBC) Security errors were made at Manchester Arena before it was attacked, but they had not contributed to the bombing, an inquiry has heard. Showsec’s barrister Jonathan Laidlaw QC told a hearing the security firm had fallen short in some areas at […]
(BBC) A man found with bomb-making manuals and speeches on Islamic State has told a court he is “not a terrorist.” Souhaib Embarek was caught sharing “terrorist tutorials” and had videos and images of terrorist attacks. He admits five charges of possession […]
(BBC) The operator of the Manchester Arena has denied it “deliberately sacrificed safety” in the aftermath of the 2017 bombing. An inquiry has heard how security failures contributed to the arena being unsafe on the night of the attack. Venue operator SMG […]
(BBC) In 2013, Nasser Muthana and Reyaad Khan left their lives in Cardiff to fight for Islamic State in Syria. Three months later Nasser’s younger brother Aseel also went out to join them. I went to sixth-form college with both Nasser and […]
(BBC) A “fatal cocktail” of security failures contributed to Manchester Arena being unsafe on the night it was bombed, the inquiry into the attack has heard. John Cooper QC, representing 12 bereaved families, told a hearing the failures were not “slight or […]
(BBC) A man accused of having explosives, detonators and documents referring to jihad and combat has appeared before Westminster magistrates. Asad Bhatti, charged with terrorism offences, did not enter a plea. The 47-year-old from Redhill, Surrey, was arrested after police raided a […]
(BBC) A man from Surrey has been charged with terrorism offences, Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) said. Asad Bhatti, 47, of Holland Close, Redhill, has been charged with two counts of possessing an article for the purpose of terrorism. He has […]
(BBC) The attorney general’s bid to increase the minimum sentence of a Newcastle man who incited a German terror cell to commit mass murder has failed. Lawyers for Suella Braverman argued that Fatah Abdullah’s nine-year minimum term was too lenient. They also […]
(BBC) An Islamic extremist has admitted sharing “terrorist tutorials” and having a stash of bomb and poison-making instructions. Souhaib Embarek, 34, was arrested after firearms officers forced entry into his Bristol home on 9 December 2019. He denied two charges of disseminating […]
(BBC) A convicted terrorist organiser and friend of the Manchester Arena bomber has been returned to prison weeks after being released on licence, the BBC has learned. Abdalraouf Abdallah, 27, was jailed in 2016 after being found guilty of helping people travel […]
(BBC) Fears of an “active shooter” were raised by the ambulance service in the aftermath of the Manchester Arena bomb, the inquiry in the attack has heard. The inquiry was told a call from North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) to fire control […]
(BBC) Two small boats with a total of 36 migrants on board were intercepted while crossing the English Channel on Saturday. It comes as the Home Office said French authorities had stopped 27 people from attempting to make the crossing since Friday […]
(BBC) The Manchester Arena and Parsons Green bombers have been charged with assaulting a prison officer together, the BBC has learned. Hashem Abedi, 23, and Ahmed Hassan, 21, are accused of assaulting an officer in HMP Belmarsh, south London, in May last […]
(BBC) More than 150 migrants arrived in England after attempting to cross the Channel at the weekend. On Saturday, Border Force dealt with 103 people on six boats, while the French authorities stopped three vessels from entering UK waters. One boat, with […]
(BBC) About 30 suspected migrants have been rescued from a small boat “in difficulty” off the East Sussex coast. The coastguard said a report was received that a vessel was in trouble 23 miles south of Beachy Head just after midday. Eastbourne […]
(BBC) The number of migrants reaching the UK by boat was four times greater in 2020 than 2019, official figures show. At least 8,400 people made the crossing in 2020 while last year 1,844 did. Despite freezing temperatures, 33 migrants reached the […]
(BBC) A Libyan man arrested in connection with the Manchester Arena bombing has been awarded £83,000 in damages after his details were published online. Alaedeen Sicri, 26, was held but later released without charge following the attack in 2017 which killed 22 […]
(BBC) A jury inquest will examine the armed police operation that intervened in the Streatham terror attack. Sudesh Amman, 20, was shot dead by a police surveillance team after he went on a daytime stabbing spree on Streatham High Road on 2 […]
(BBC) A man who incited a German terror cell to commit mass murder has had his jail term challenged by the attorney general. Lawyers for Suella Braverman told the Court of Appeal the nine-year minimum term for Fatah Abdullah, from Newcastle, was […]
(BBC) A friend of the Manchester Arena bomber is refusing to appear as a witness at the public inquiry into the attack. Ahmed Taghdi, who was due to appear earlier, is citing health issues and concerns about possible questioning after hearing some […]
(BBC) The Manchester Arena bomber transferred money to his family in Libya hours before the attack, a public inquiry into the 2017 bombing has heard. Rabie Zreba, who made the transfer, said he was contacted by a man he did not know […]
(BBC) A taxi driver who took Salman Abedi on his final journey to the Manchester Arena has described how the bomber asked for his prayers. Tariq Nadeem, who drives a black cab, was approached by Abedi outside Piccadilly station in the city […]
(BBC) A convicted terrorist who spoke to the Manchester Arena bomber on an illegal prison mobile obtained another phone after the first was confiscated, a public inquiry heard. Abdalraouf Abdallah, 27, was released from prison on licence last month on what are […]
(BBC) A confession by the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber amounts to “pro-Islamic State propaganda,” a public inquiry has heard. Hashem Abedi admitted his role during a prison interview in October. He also gave a written statement, which the senior investigating […]
(BBC) France’s anti-terror prosecutors have called for defendants on trial for a series of militant Islamist attacks in Paris to be given long jail terms. The January 2015 attacks on Charlie Hebdo magazine, a policewoman and a Jewish supermarket left 17 people […]
(BBC) Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi trained or fought with an Islamist militia in Libya, an inquiry has heard. His cousin Abderahman Forjani told police Abedi travelled to Libya during its 2011 revolution and “obtained a job locating Gaddafi supporters.” Abedi had […]
(BBC) Five children, including a baby without socks or shoes, were among migrants who crossed the English Channel in small boats in near-freezing conditions. The Home Office said 111 people arrived in five boats, with the French stopping 35 people from making […]
(BBC) One of three Americans hailed as heroes for overcoming a gunman on a train travelling to Paris has told a French court his main aim was to survive. Spencer Stone, a 28-year-old ex-serviceman, described via video from the US how he […]
(BBC) A suspected people-smuggling gang accused of bringing hundreds of people to the UK in small boats has been broken up, the Home Office says. A 36-year-old British Syrian man was detained at his flat in north-west London on Thursday morning, bringing […]
(BBC) The Manchester Arena inquiry has been told there were enough transport police officers on duty on the night of the bombing. Insp Michelle Wedderburn insisted British Transport Police (BTP) staffing levels were adequate and no sergeant was required on site. Security […]
(BBC) Stewards on duty on the night of the Manchester bombing did not think Salman Abedi was a threat because they had not been trained properly, a security expert has told the attack inquiry. Col Richard Latham said “a managerial fault” meant […]
(BBC) Sixteen migrants in a small boat were intercepted by Border Force officials in the English Channel on Monday, the Home Office has confirmed. French authorities managed to prevent “more than 200 people” from making the journey on the same day, it […]
(BBC) There were not enough qualified staff “to adequately profile the crowd” when Manchester Arena was bombed, a security expert has told the attack inquiry. Col Richard Latham said there were several issues with security on 22 May 2017, when a bomb […]
(BBC) France’s Muslim Council is due to meet President Emmanuel Macron this week, to confirm the text of a new “charter of republican values” for imams in the country to sign. The Council (CFCM), which represents nine separate Muslim associations, has reportedly […]
(BBC) “Fast-time learning” from the attack on Manchester Arena led to several changes in how UK counter-terrorism teams work, the inquiry into the bombing has heard. The inquiry into the attack of 22 May 2017, which killed 22 people, was told senior […]
(BBC) Migrants, bundled in blankets and foil, have arrived in Dover after journeying across the Channel. Temperatures at the Kent port hovered around 7C while a woman and a group of men were seen being helped ashore by Border Force officials. The […]
(BBC) Women are being offered controversial “virginity tests” at British medical clinics, an investigation by BBC Newsbeat and 100 Women has found. The intrusive tests are considered a violation of human rights by the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations, which […]
(BBC) A man and a woman have been arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration by supplying small boats to people smugglers. It follows an arrest in October as part of a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation into a criminal network. Officers […]
(BBC) It is feared victims of female genital mutilation in England are not reporting cases because of delays and lockdown closures, charities have told the BBC. It comes as new figures revealed 635 new cases were recorded from July-September — a fall […]
(BBC) A friend of the Manchester Arena bomber whose bank details were used to buy chemicals for the bomb has been handed a 12-month community order. Manchester Crown Court heard Yahya Werfalli’s bank details were used to buy hydrogen peroxide on Amazon. […]
(BBC) A convicted terrorist organiser, who has refused to tell an inquiry about his contact with the Manchester Arena bomber, is to be released from jail. Abdalraouf Abdallah, 27, was jailed in 2016 after being found guilty of helping people travel to […]
(BBC) Two police constables who designed a hijab to be part of their uniform have celebrated making it a reality. North Yorkshire Police called the move an “important change” and highlighted the need to represent the communities they serve. PC Uzma Amireddy, […]
(BBC) An Islamic preacher accused of raping a young girl was arrested 15 years later after she identified him on YouTube, a court heard. The woman only knew her alleged attacker as “The Imam” before going on the internet to find Khandaker […]
(BBC) Four small boats carrying 54 migrants have crossed the English Channel this week, the Home Office said. Eleven people reached the UK in one boat earlier, with 43 entering British waters in three vessels on Monday. A further 200 people were […]
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