Terrorist attack in UK linked to Gaza

An asylum seeker bent on avenging deaths in Gaza has carried out a suspected terrorist attack in Britain, The Telegraph can disclose.

The public has not been told that the man, who came to the UK in 2020, told police he had done it for “Palestine”.

MPs said on Friday night that the public had a right to know, amid warnings that demonstrations this weekend could encourage so-called lone-wolf terrorist attacks.

The world is on high alert for such attacks after the United States issued a “worldwide caution” to its citizens to be extra vigilant wherever they live.

News of the Gaza-linked alleged terror attack in the UK comes after Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, said he was concerned that disgruntled individuals might feel they “get permission” from big demonstrations to turn to violence

The Telegraph has discovered that just such an alleged attack has already taken place.

The details that can be reported are highly restricted for legal reasons, but the suspect – who is now in custody – said after his arrest that he had done it because Israel had killed children in Gaza.

Senior politicians have questioned why such information has not been made public at a time when the police and security services are on high alert for terrorist attacks motivated by the Israel-Gaza war.

A security source said: “They may be downplaying it so that they don’t have repeat attacks or copycat attacks.” Or so people’s anger (as a race we are slow to anger, far too slow in my opinion these days) doesn’t erupt at last into demanding action by the government to deal with this enemy aliens in our midst.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former leader of the Conservative Party, said: “I think the public does have a right to know that something has happened. If they are worried about reaction, people need to know whether their streets are safe.

Asked if there was squeamishness over links to migration, he said: “All these things are connected. I understand the sensitivities but the police need to be clear if this was an attack by an extremist. We need to know that.”

A senior counter-terror official said: “It just illustrates the risk when you get stressed individuals coming from all parts of the world, including places where they will have participated in or witnessed savagery.  It is linked to migration. As a result of full-scale migration, we are getting a lot of people.”

On Friday, Mr Hall said of planned demonstrations this weekend: “I don’t want to alarm and the last march that took place seemed to take place without too much criminality. . . Of course I am worried. I am worried really about the lone actors who will effectively feel they get permission from big group demonstrations.

He said that in the past there had been “a lot of lurkers” who had gone on to commit acts of terrorism. “Often lone individuals have gone and stabbed someone or tried to create some explosives,” he said.  “You tend to find that they have been at some of these marches, not necessarily the Palestinian marches but I am thinking of the al Muhajiroun-type marches.”

A Whitehall source said: “There is a public interest issue here. When this goes to court all of this will come out but it’s too late by then, especially if there are further attacks. Unless the Home Office say that this will impact the threat level, there is no reason why they can’t press this matter with the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.”