Dover firebomb attack

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Dover firebomb attack
Location Dover, Kent, England
Coordinates 51°06′55″N1°18′43″E / 51.11540°N 1.31198°E / 51.11540; 1.31198
Date30 October 2022
11:20 (GMT)
Attack type
 Arson
Weapons Petrol bomb
Deaths1 (the perpetrator)
Injured2
MotiveFar-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.

Contents

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

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

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

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

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

  1. ↑ "UK immigration office handling asylum seekers firebombed". TheJournal.ie . 30 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 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.
  3. 1 2 3 Lennon, Sam (30 October 2022). "Man kills himself after petrol bomb attack on asylum centre". Kent Online . Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  4. ↑ Watkinson, Callum (30 October 2022). "Suspect found dead after Dover migrant centre firebombed". ITV News . Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  5. ↑ "Dover migrant centre: Man found dead near scene of fire attack". BBC News . 30 October 2022. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  6. ↑ "Dover attack on migrant centre driven by hate, say terror police". BBC News. 1 November 2022.
  7. ↑ "Dover migrant centre attack driven by right-wing ideology - police". BBC News. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  8. 1 2 Weaver, Matthew (1 November 2022). "'I will end illegal immigration': who was Dover firebomb suspect Andrew Leak?". The Guardian .
  9. 1 2 Weaver, Matthew; Dodd, Vikram (31 October 2022). "Police urged to treat Dover attack as terrorism, as suspect's home searched". The Guardian .
  10. 1 2 Jee, Alex (1 November 2022). "Dover petrol bomber Andrew Leak's hate-filled Facebook posts". KentOnline .
  11. 1 2 3 "UK police: 'Extreme right wing motivation behind firebomb attack' on immigration centre". TheJournal.ie . Agence France-Presse. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
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