'Inadequate' information released after Southport attack by authorities, says terror law reviewer

In the aftermath of the Southport weapon onslaught determination was a consciousness of nationalist trauma implicit the killings of 3 girls astatine a summertime vacation creation and yoga class. Seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, Bebe King who was six, and nine-year-old Alice Aguiar were murdered. Eight different children were severely injured.

Anger and disbelief soon followed, prompting burning questions implicit the identity, inheritance and imaginable motive of the attacker, and suspicions astir wherefore the authorities appeared to beryllium saying a batch little than they knew.

Despite nationalist demands for information, the constabulary provided fewer details astir the attacker. There was precise small accusation successful their statements astir his background. He was not adjacent named due to the fact that helium was 17 astatine the clip of the attack. One happening was made nationalist aboriginal connected - it was not being treated arsenic terror-related by the authorities.

The UK's autarkic reviewer of coercion authorities has told BBC Panorama that helium believes the prime and quantity of accusation released by the authorities successful the hours aft the onslaught connected 29 July 2024 was "inadequate".

"People got the consciousness that thing was being withheld oregon fudged successful immoderate way, and that led the societal media types who wanted to dispersed disinformation to dispersed disinformation," Jonathan Hall KC said.

The time aft the attack, rioters targeted a mosque successful Southport. The online rumour mill had identified the attacker arsenic a Muslim asylum seeker who had been connected an MI6 ticker list. It was each untrue but it served arsenic substance for 4 days of rioting and unit - the worst the UK had seen successful much than a decade.

There was swift and wide condemnation, but this was not confined to the unit and disorder. The precise enactment of questioning whether the authorities were withholding accusation from the nationalist was besides criticised connected the grounds that it had stoked the flames of disorder.

But the questions person not gone away.

BBC Panorama has spent weeks successful Southport, wherever everyone seems to cognize idiosyncratic who has been affected by the attack. What besides rapidly became evident is the consciousness among galore residents that the authorities person been concealing information.

"Cover-up" is 1 word we heard repeatedly. So, is it justified?

What the constabulary said, and erstwhile they said it, is important. On the evening of the attack, the Chief Constable of Merseyside Police, Serena Kennedy, held a property conference. She said "a 17-year-old antheral from Banks successful Lancashire, who is primitively from Cardiff" had been arrested successful transportation with the stabbings.

This was existent - but constabulary did not divulge household inheritance details, including that the attacker's parents were Christians who had travel to the UK from Rwanda.

The attacker was not named due to the fact that helium was 1 week shy of his 18th birthday. In that archetypal statement, the constabulary said the motive was "unclear" but astatine that infinitesimal successful clip the incidental was "not being treated arsenic terror-related".

But Jonathan Hall KC told BBC Panorama that the authorities could, and should, person released much accusation aft the attack.

"The nationalist could person been told instantly that determination had been an onslaught by a 17-year-old antheral who was black, British, calved successful Wales and has lived successful the UK each his life," helium told us.

"That helium comes from a Rwandan background, and arsenic acold arsenic the constabulary were aware, from a Christian background. That it was not imaginable to accidental whether helium had an ideology oregon that helium was a terrorist. But the constabulary are looking at, astatine pace, each the worldly that they found."

Ultimately, the Southport onslaught was ne'er classed arsenic coercion by the authorities arsenic that would person required grounds of an ideological motive, and the constabulary person said they recovered nary specified evidence.

"We were wide that determination was nary evidence, accusation oregon quality to suggest that this was violent related," Chief Constable Serena Kennedy told Panorama.

"We were truly wide that we would support that nether continual review, which we've done from time one. But our colleagues successful counter-terrorism policing, moving with ourselves, were satisfied that this was not a violent related incident, and that's remained the lawsuit throughout."

Jonathan Hall agrees with this assessment, but says that successful the contiguous aftermath of the attack, the constabulary should person said it was not imaginable astatine that signifier to accidental whether the attacker was a violent oregon not.

Counter-extremism adept Ian Acheson agrees. "I don't deliberation they could conceivably person arrived astatine that decision connected the ground of the evidence," helium said.

"I deliberation the comms determination was 'let's accidental arsenic small arsenic imaginable and let's effort to dampen down assemblage feeling by saying, 'no, there's thing to spot here',' which of people past created a communicative that was exploited by misinformation and disinformation."

The time aft the attack, Merseyside Police issued a property merchandise reiterating that the incidental was "not presently being treated arsenic terror-related". That aforesaid day, however, constabulary halted their hunt of the attacker's location aft uncovering a substance nether his furniture that they suspected whitethorn beryllium poison.

The substance was sent to the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory astatine Porton Down to beryllium examined by an adept successful chemic and biologic warfare agents. Three days later, the laboratory confirmed that the suspicious substance was the poison ricin, but the nationalist was not told. The adjacent day, constabulary recovered excerpts of an al-Qaeda grooming manual connected 1 of the attacker's computers. But the nationalist was not told astir that either.

Ministers had been kept informed of these developments, but different 3 months would walk earlier the constabulary publically announced the find of the ricin and the al-Qaeda manual.

On 1 August, 3 days aft the attack, the fishy was officially identified arsenic Axel Rudakubana aft a justice lifted restrictions connected reporting his name.

But still, to immoderate people, the withholding of different accusation by the authorities has led to suggestions of "cover-up". There is, however, an alternate explanation.

Chief Constable Serena Kennedy told Panorama: "My precedence was to marque definite that we got justness for the families of the victims. And whilst I would person liked to person said more, I was not going to hazard bringing Rudakubana to justice."

Legally, determination are restrictions astir what tin beryllium said earlier a proceedings to forestall a assemblage from being influenced. Saying excessively overmuch oregon the incorrect happening could perchance person allowed Rudakubana's defence to reason that a just proceedings was impossible.

Speaking aft Rudakubana's blameworthy plea, Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated this crushed for caution: "Yes, I knew the details arsenic they were emerging. That is the accustomed signifier successful a lawsuit specified arsenic this. But you cognize and I cognize that it would not person been close to disclose those details.

"The lone losers if the details had been disclosed would beryllium the victims and the families due to the fact that it ran the hazard the proceedings would collapse."

But pursuing Southport, determination is present increasing acknowledgement that much openness whitethorn beryllium needed successful the mode the authorities pass with the public.

"We're operating a transgression justness strategy which, successful bid to support the courtroom, truly locks down accusation astir investigations erstwhile they're nether way," Assistant Commissioner Matt Jukes, the UK's caput of counter-terrorism policing, told Panorama.

"But I should besides beryllium wide it's a strategy which, successful my view, was built for a antithetic property and I'm perfectly definite that we request to find ways of saying much astir those investigations."

One question that remains unanswered is however overmuch Rudakubana's parents knew astir their son. A constabulary hunt of the household location revealed weapons successful his chamber and a weapon successful the surviving room, arsenic good arsenic materials for producing ricin. On 4 occasions betwixt 2021 and 2022, Rudakubana's parents called the constabulary pursuing concerns astir their son.

A week earlier the Southport attack, Rudakubana's begetter stopped him taking a taxi to his aged school. His lad was dressed successful the aforesaid greenish hoodie helium wore connected the time of the Southport attack. Police present judge that Rudakubana had intended to transportation retired an attack, but connected that occasion, his parents didn't telephone the police.

Merseyside Police told america they couldn't sermon questions astir what Rudakubana's parents knew, citing an "ongoing unrecorded investigation". The Home Office besides declined to remark connected the circumstances successful which his parents came to the UK.

Last month, Rudakubana pleaded blameworthy to 3 charges of execution and 10 charges of attempted execution and was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years. The justice said helium would person been fixed a full beingness word had helium been an big astatine the clip of the attacks.

Following Rudakubana's conviction, Merseyside Police person released much footage of the infinitesimal erstwhile helium was arrested.

The authorities has announced a nationalist enquiry into the galore missed opportunities by aggregate agencies to halt Rudakubana. A important magnitude of item connected these failings has already been released, raising pugnacious questions for respective agencies including Lancashire Police and the counter-extremism programme Prevent.

In March 2022, Lancashire Police recovered Rudakubana connected a autobus with a knife. It was 1 of respective interactions the unit had with the teenager, but helium was not charged. He was besides referred to Prevent 3 times but connected each juncture the lawsuit was closed.

Assistant Commissioner Matt Jukes told Panorama: "I'm liable for the constabulary portion of the Prevent strategy. And so, the consciousness that determination were moments erstwhile that strategy mightiness person made a much decisive quality perfectly sits with me."

Lancashire Police told america that they "stand acceptable to prosecute fully" and that the nationalist enquiry is the "right spot for the interactions of the assorted agencies… to beryllium scrutinised and considered". They accidental they are "fully committed to ensuring immoderate learning is identified."