Dover firebomb attack
| Dover firebomb attack | |
|---|---|
| Location | Dover, Kent, England |
| Coordinates | 51°06′55″N 1°18′43″E / 51.11540°N 1.31198°E |
| Date | 30 October 2022 11:20 (GMT) |
Attack type | Arson |
| Weapons | Petrol bomb |
| Deaths | 1 (the perpetrator) |
| Injured | 2 |
| Motive | Far-right extremism |
On 30 October 2022, a petrol bomb attack was perpetrated against a Border Force centre for processing migrants in Dover, Kent, England. Two people suffered minor injuries.
After the attack, the suspect, a 66-year-old man from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, drove to a nearby petrol station where he killed himself.
Attack
[edit]Around 11:20 GMT on 30 October 2022, a man drove a white Seat Tarraco to the Border Force centre in Dover, Kent, and threw two or three petrol bombs at the complex.[1] One of the bombs failed to ignite.[2][3] A witness stated that the attacker then drove to a petrol station and tied a noose around his neck and attached it to a metal pole before driving off, killing himself.[2][3]
Investigation
[edit]Kent Police said that two or three devices had been thrown into a Home Office establishment and that investigations were ongoing.[2] They were unable to confirm that the attacker had killed himself.[4]
An army bomb disposal unit was sent to the site of the attack and to the petrol station on Limekiln Road to examine a suspect vehicle,[3] where another device was found and later made safe by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit.[5]
Police said it was likely a hate attack, driven by a right-wing ideology, and was being investigated by counter-terrorism police.[6][7]
Suspect
[edit]The suspect was Andrew Leak, a 66-year-old man from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire.[8][9] A property in High Wycombe was searched by Thames Valley Police the day after the attack.[9]
Leak had posted rants on Facebook against Muslims, asylum seekers, China, and COVID-19.[10][8] Counter-terrorism teams were brought in[when?] to investigate him.[10]
On 5 November 2022 Counter Terrorism Police South East announced that it had evidence the attack was "motivated by a terrorist ideology" and that the perpetrator had "extreme right-wing motivation".[11]
Motive
[edit]Counter Terrorism Policing senior national coordinator Tim Jaques said that while there were "strong indications that mental health was likely a factor" he concluded that the "suspect’s actions were primarily driven by an extremist ideology" and these met the "threshold for a terrorist incident".[11]
The suspect was unknown to counter terrorist police and there were no indications he had worked with anyone else.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ "UK immigration office handling asylum seekers firebombed". TheJournal.ie. 30 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- ^ a b c Nicholls, Peter (30 October 2022). "Man attacks UK migrant processing centre in Dover, kills himself". Reuters. Archived from the original on 19 May 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- ^ a b c Lennon, Sam (30 October 2022). "Man kills himself after petrol bomb attack on asylum centre". Kent Online. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- ^ Watkinson, Callum (30 October 2022). "Suspect found dead after Dover migrant centre firebombed". ITV News. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- ^ "Dover migrant centre: Man found dead near scene of fire attack". BBC News. 30 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- ^ "Dover attack on migrant centre driven by hate, say terror police". BBC News. 1 November 2022.
- ^ "Dover migrant centre attack driven by right-wing ideology - police". BBC News. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
- ^ a b Weaver, Matthew (1 November 2022). "'I will end illegal immigration': who was Dover firebomb suspect Andrew Leak?". The Guardian.
- ^ a b Weaver, Matthew; Dodd, Vikram (31 October 2022). "Police urged to treat Dover attack as terrorism, as suspect's home searched". The Guardian.
- ^ a b Jee, Alex (1 November 2022). "Dover petrol bomber Andrew Leak's hate-filled Facebook posts". KentOnline.
- ^ a b c "UK police: 'Extreme right wing motivation behind firebomb attack' on immigration centre". TheJournal.ie. Agence France-Presse. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
