Firebombing on Dover immigration centre 'motivated by terrorist ideology'

 The firebombing of an immigration processing centre in Dover was motivated by a terrorist ideology, reported The Independent citing police.

Andrew Leak, 66, from High Wycombe, a town in Buckinghamshire, threw up to three firebombs at the immigration centre in Kent county on Sunday. Leak later killed himself.

Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) said Saturday that evidence has been recovered which makes it evident that the attack "was motivated by a terrorist ideology," reported The Independent.

"A number of significant witnesses have been spoken to during the course of the investigation and a number of items of interest have been recovered, including digital media devices," the media portal said quoting the police statement.

"Evidence from examining these items suggests there was an extreme right-wing motivation behind the attack," the statement added.

However, the police also made clear that there is no evidence which suggests that Andrew Leak was working with anyone else. The police also dismissed any wider threat to the public.

Tim Jacques, senior national co-ordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said, "This was clearly a very worrying incident and although nobody was seriously hurt, two people did sustain minor injuries." "Increasingly in counter-terrorism casework, across all ideologies, we are seeing individuals who have mental health concerns and a hateful mindset," the police added.

"Assessing when this crosses the terrorism threshold is a complex process and needs to be carefully considered on a case-by-case basis. These decisions need to be determined by the facts, as far as they can be established at any given time," Tim said.

"After considering the evidence collected so far in this case, whilst there are strong indications that mental health was likely a factor, I am satisfied that the suspect's actions were primarily driven by an extremist ideology. This meets the threshold for a terrorist incident," he added.

In the firebombing incident, two staff members suffered minor injuries from inside the Western Jet Foil site. Home Secretary Suella Braverman visited the Western Jet Foil and Manston sites in Kent on November 3 to see the progress being made to ease the pressures on our immigration system and support people on-site while thanking staff for their continued hard work.

Suella Braverman went to Western Jet Foil to speak to officers following the shocking incident there this weekend. At the Manston site in Kent county, she saw the momentous efforts underway to ease pressures on site and process individuals into alternative accommodation, alongside the immediate support being provided, particularly to vulnerable people.

Over 1,000 people have been moved off-site within the last five days, helping return Manston onto a more sustainable footing.

The Home Secretary also confirmed steps being taken to immediately improve the situation on the ground. These include bolstering the 24/7 medical facilities already on site, extra bedding and improved catering facilities, as well as providing more activities to support migrant welfare, including for children.

The Home Secretary and operational colleagues agreed that the vital work to safeguard individuals and provide alternative accommodation and support as quickly as possible remains their priority, making sure that people are treated with dignity, care and compassion throughout the process.

In Dover, the Home Secretary observed the expert techniques used by operational teams to intercept, identify and process those arriving via small boats.

She spoke with Border Force officers, military, and other personnel on the ground and thanked them for their dedicated work, under difficult circumstances, to protect UK borders and save lives.

The Home Secretary also reiterated her gratitude and thoughts to all those affected by the distressing incident on Sunday. Braverman said, "I have met with our expert teams who work tirelessly to save lives and protect the UK's borders. I wanted to see first-hand how we're working to reduce the number of people in Manston, support people there, and thank staff for all their efforts."

"I am incredibly proud of the skill and dedication shown to tackle this challenging situation here on a daily basis. This is a complex and difficult situation, which we need to tackle on all fronts and look at innovative solutions. To break the business model of the people smugglers, we need to ensure that the illegal migration route across the Channel is ultimately rendered unviable," she added.