PICTURED: Petrol bomber, 66, who attacked Dover migrant centre before killing himself – as counter terror police lead probe into incident which detectives say was sparked by ‘some form of hate-filled grievance’
- Andrew Leak, 66, was today named as the petrol bomber as terror cops took over the fast paced investigation
- Officers raided his High Wycombe property after the ‘laughing’ petrol bomber attacked immigration centre
- Leak hurled three petrol bombs with fireworks attached at a migrant centre in Dover then took his own life
- After hurling the petrol bombs, he told drivers ferrying migrants their children should be ‘raped and killed’
- Do you know the bomber? Email [email protected]
The petrol bomber who attacked a Dover migrant centre before killing himself was today named as father-of-one Andrew Leak – as terror police took over the investigation into whether he was a right-wing extremist.
Leak, 66, drove ‘more than 100 miles’ to lob three home-made explosives at the Western Jet Foil centre after ‘carrying out a recce’ the night before the attack.
Kent Police and Thames Valley Police began searching his High Wycombe property yesterday after confirming he was from the area.
They are investigating whether he was a Right-wing terrorist, as they search for a motive for the attack on Sunday.
A number of items of interest were recovered from Leak’s £350,000 house, including digital media devices, which are being scoured for clues.
Detective Chief Superintendent Olly Wright, Head of CTPSE, said: ‘This was a traumatic incident for everyone involved, and the wider community, and we’re working hard to establish exactly what led to the events on Sunday morning.
‘We understand that when Counter Terrorism Policing become involved, it can be worrying for some people, but I would like to reassure people that there is nothing to suggest any ongoing wider threat at this time.
‘What appears clear is that this despicable offence was targeted and likely to be driven by some form of hate filled grievance, though this may not necessarily meet the threshold of terrorism. At this point, the incident itself has not been declared a terrorist incident, but this is being kept under review as the investigation progresses.’
A source said Leak carried out ‘a recce’ the night before the attack. He was seen by port security driving past the Western Jet Foil centre on the dockside several times on Saturday evening after driving more than 100 miles to get there.
Leak, 66, drove ‘more than 100 miles’ to lob three home-made explosives at the Western Jet Foil centre on Sunday morning
Leak’s social media profiles were a mixture of him in disturbing masks and in more normal activities, such as being in the pub
Andrew Leak, 66, can be seen throwing the bomb out of a car window next to the Border Force centre in Dover on Sunday
This chilling image was posted on social media by Andrew Leak, 66, who has been today named as the petrol bomber
The bomb thrown from a window. Another improvised explosive was found in the car after the driver died
One of the three bombs is understood not to have gone off, while two others are believed to have become ignited
Another fire burns next to the Border Force centre after the firebomb attack in Dover on Sunday after Leak launched attack
A map shows the location of the migrant processing centre where the man threw three petrol bombs before driving to a nearby garage and taking his own life according to witnesses
Then on Sunday morning he returned and hurled three petrol bombs at a security checkpoint before driving to a nearby petrol station and killing himself.
It emerged yesterday that after hurling the petrol bombs, Leak told coach drivers waiting to transport migrants: ‘Do you know what you’re doing? Your children should be raped and killed!’
‘All hell broke loose’ when he was seen laughing as he threw the devices at the centre where nearly 1,000 migrants were brought for processing less than 24 hours earlier.
His social media profiles painted a disturbing picture of some of his views.
One of his rants states: ‘The next time the job centre sanctions your money for not looking for enough work asked (sic) them about the thousands of people getting benefits cannot speak English cannot write English.
‘How are they looking for work 4 times. I have put in freedom of information request. How many people cannot speak English right (sic) English Are receiving unemployment benefits clearly States you cannot claim benefits if not looking for work all of these people should be excluded from benefit.
‘Next time you go to the job centre show them this message if they sanctioned you they are breaking the law they cannot have one rule for 1 and a different from the other you can clearly not look for work if you cannot read English speak English they are breaking the law time to stand up.’
A source told The Telegraph that the bomber had previously been investigated for child sex offences, and threatened to kill himself while being questioned by police.
After making the threat on his life, he was placed under supervision by a police force near his home, the newspaper reported.
It is unclear whether he was charged with any offences.
A motive for Sunday’s attack remains unclear and police will examine whether the man had links to Right-wing terror groups, the newspaper reported.
It is understood that police have so far failed to establish a link between the attacker and any far-Right groups.
Early investigations suggested that the petrol bomber had not published any online posts which suggested a link with extremism. And initial background searches by detectives indicate he was operating alone, sources said.
The driver left the scene and went to a nearby petrol station where he is believed to have killed himself
Migrants are brought to the site in Dover after crossing the Channel in dinghies yesterday – just before it was attacked
Kent MP: Conditions at Manston are a ‘breach of humane conditions’
The situation at a migrant facility in Kent is a ‘breach of humane conditions’, according to an MP for the area.
Sir Roger Gale, Conservative MP for North Thanet, told Sky News on Monday there are now more than 4,000 people at the facility in Manston.
He said: ‘Up until about five weeks ago the system was working as it was intended to, very well indeed.
‘It’s now broken and it’s got to be mended fast.’
Asked whether Suella Braverman is the right person to handle this situation, Sir Roger said: ‘I’m not seeking to point fingers at the moment but I do believe whoever is responsible, and that is either the previous home secretary or this one, has to be held to account, because a bad decision was taken and it’s led to what I would regard as a breach of humane conditions.’
Sir Roger said he was told that the Home Office was finding it very difficult to secure hotel accommodation, adding that he now understands that this was a policy issue and a decision was taken not to book additional hotel space.
‘That’s like driving a car down a motorway, seeing the motorway clear ahead, then there’s a car crash, and then suddenly there’s a five mile tailback.
‘The car crash was the decision not to book more hotel space,’ he said.
He said he believes it was a decision taken by the Home Secretary, but is not sure whether it was Priti Patel or Suella Braverman.
Sir Roger said he has put forward an urgent question.
The attack came as Britain’s migrant crisis intensified amid new fears over the number of arrivals and the conditions they are being held in. The number of small boat migrants who have reached the UK so far this year is near 40,000.
Pictures captured the moment the white man, who has not been named, reached out of his car window and tossed a petrol canister, which appeared to have a firework strapped to it.
Video footage showed a fire ripple through the barriers surrounding the holding facility, where huge lines of migrants were seen waiting to be processed on Saturday as 990 arrived in one day alone.
Minutes after the attack on Sunday morning, the man killed himself at a nearby BP garage, according to a Reuters photographer who saw the incident involving his white Seat Tarraco SUV, which had a blue disabled badge on the dashboard.
Natalie Elphicke, the Tory MP for Dover, said: ‘With numbers of arrivals spiralling and tensions rising, it’s now vital to see action taken to end the small boats crisis.’
A source told MailOnline yesterday: ‘The man had driven 2-3 hours to Kent. He lived much further west than Dover.
‘He was seen by the Dover’s port security on Saturday night driving suspiciously past the migrant centre and around the car park.
‘The thinking is that he was probably carrying out some sort of recce. However, the security did not alert the police.
‘He returned the following morning and targeted the immigration centre with a number of petrol bombs.
‘After he had thrown the incendiary devices he drove past coach drivers who were waiting to transport some of the migrants and shouted abuse at them.
‘He yelled: ‘Look at what you’re going. Your children should be raped and killed!’.
Lorry driver Mark Wilkinson had earlier told KentOnline: ‘I was going for a coffee and when I arrived at the garage I was told I couldn’t cross the road into the garage because it was a crime scene. As I walked past I saw a car with a body. At first I thought it was a gangland killing or something but obviously it wasn’t. The guy who died seemed to be in his late 50s or early 60s. He was white and grey haired and looked fairly well dressed.’
A man threw three petrol bombs at a migrant processing centre in Kent, and took his own life according to witnesses
Members of the military and UK Border Force extinguish a fire from a petrol bomb in Dover, Kent
Immigration minister visits Kent migrant facility amid growing safety concerns
The immigration minister has visited a migrant processing centre in Kent amid growing concerns about its poor conditions, as Government figures showed nearly 1,000 people arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel on Saturday.
Robert Jenrick visited the Manston facility after an immigration watchdog said he was left ‘speechless’ by safety problems at the allegedly overcrowded site.
Mr Jenrick tweeted on Sunday: ‘Today I visited Manston to thank Home Office teams who continue to process migrants securely in challenging conditions.’
He said the number of migrants who crossed the Channel on Saturday ‘creates immense pressure’, adding: ‘I was hugely impressed by the staff I met, managing this intolerable situation.’
Huge lines of people thought to be migrants could be seen waiting to be processed at the Border Force compound in Dover, Kent, as a total of 990 arrived.
Nearly 40,000 have arrived in the UK so far this year after making the treacherous journey from France, crossing the world’s busiest shipping lanes in dinghies and other small boats, provisional figures show.
It is the highest number of arrivals in one day for a number of weeks, with more crossings taking place on Sunday morning.
The highest number in a single day was on August 22 when 1,295 people arrived.
It comes after an immigration watchdog said he was astonished by conditions at Manston, and warned the site has already passed the point of being unsafe.
Chief inspector of borders and immigration David Neal told MPs earlier this week that Manston was originally meant to hold between 1,000 and 1,600 people, but there were 2,800 at the site when he visited on Monday, with more arriving.
The disclosures prompted the Refugee Council to call for ‘urgent’ action and request a meeting with ministers to discuss proposals for tackling the problems.
Migrants are meant to stay at the short-term holding facility, which opened in January, for 24 hours, while they undergo checks before being moved into immigration detention centres or asylum accommodation – currently hotels.
The Sunday Times reported Home Secretary Suella Braverman has been accused of failing to act on legal advice received at least three weeks ago which warned migrants were being detained for unlawfully long periods.
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘The Home Secretary has taken urgent decisions to alleviate issues at Manston and source alternative accommodation. Claims advice was deliberately ignored are completely baseless.
‘It is right we look at all available options so decisions can be made based on the latest operational and legal advice.
‘The number of people arriving in the UK via small boats has reached record levels, which has put our asylum system under incredible pressure and costs the British taxpayer millions of pounds a day.’
Cabinet minister Michael Gove said the situation at Manston is ‘deeply concerning’, but he denied the Home Secretary ignored or dismissed legal advice.
‘The situation in Manston is not what it should be,’ he told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme.
‘Everyone acknowledges that. We have more than 2,000 people there at the moment.’
The Liberal Democrats have called on the Government to publish the legal advice reportedly ignored by Ms Braverman.
Concerns are growing over a second asylum processing site in Manston, Kent, where there has been an outbreak of diphtheria and fights have erupted between migrants. A union warned yesterday that the centre was like a ‘pressure cooker’.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman was said to have blocked the transfer of migrants from the centre amid the soaring cost of housing them in hotels, which is around £6million per day.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is being kept informed about the situation, his official spokesman said yesterday.
‘Certainly the Prime Minister is being kept up to date on the situation in Manston,’ the spokesman said.
The Home Office is ‘working on additional accommodation’, the spokesman added.
Whistleblowers from the camp told the Daily Mail over the weekend: ‘Fights have broken out between Albanians and Eritreans using sharpened combs from their Home Office washbags as weapons.’
They added: ‘A small Army detachment is inside to help keep order. We have been told riot police are on standby to enter if the migrants kick off in the next few days. It is a tinder box. Migrants have attacked Border Force officials and security staff, who are scared and outnumbered.’
Kent Police confirmed the suspect had died at ‘a nearby petrol station’. In a statement it said ‘two to three incendiary devices had been thrown outside and into the premises’ and they’d found a further device in the man’s car.
It said: ‘Two people have reported minor injuries from inside the property. The site remained open, however around 700 suspected migrants were relocated to Manston to ensure safety during the initial phase of the police investigation.’
Witnesses described seeing a ‘laughing’ man target the facility with up to three improvised devices before he apparently killed himself at a nearby petrol station.
Natalie Elphicke, the Tory MP for Dover, said that ‘tensions have been running high’. Environment minister Mark Spencer has said the UK needs to find a way to deal with migrants ‘compassionately’ as he acknowledged there are ‘huge challenges’ in the system.
It comes as the Home Secretary has come under scrutiny for her handling of worsening conditions at the Manston asylum processing centre in Kent.
Asked about alleged overcrowding at the facility, Mr Spencer told Sky News: ‘Of course, when they get here, we’ve got to try and find a way of dealing with them compassionately and looking after them and processing them as quickly as possible.
‘There are competing ambitions to try and get people processed, but also to look after them and keep them safe.’
He added: ‘Clearly we have an obligation to look after these people and to support them and to keep them safe, and there are huge challenges, I acknowledge that. We’ve got to try and deal with these people compassionately and quickly.’
On Sunday night Mrs Braverman described the incident as ‘distressing’ and said she was receiving ‘regular updates on the situation’.
Migrants who have crossed the Channel in small boats arrive at the Dover centre before being taken to the Manston asylum processing site.
They are meant to stay at Manston for a maximum of 24 hours while they undergo checks before being moved into immigration detention centres or asylum accommodation such as hotels.
But some of the 2,600 migrants at the site, which is meant to only hold 1,600, have been there for up to four weeks.
On Sunday night, it was believed to be housing 4,000 people, The Telegraph reported.
There are cases of diphtheria and scabies – and the Guardian reported there was a case of MRSA. Staff are also reporting outbreaks of violence amid tensions over the conditions.
Andy Baxter, assistant general secretary of the POA, said Manston has unfolded as a ‘humanitarian crisis on British soil’, with ‘pressure cooker’ conditions building.
Forensic officers by the car allegedly involved in an incident near the migrant processing centre in Dover, Kent, on Sunday
The group managed to successfully extinguish the flames after the petrol bomb was thrown
But Mrs Braverman was said to have blocked the transfer of migrants from the centre amid the soaring cost of housing them in hotels, which is around £6million per day.
A government source has now revealed that the Home Office is looking at booking individual rooms in hotels instead of the entire site.
‘To make it easier and more efficient, we are looking at spot booking of hotels rather than requiring a whole hotel,’ the source told The Telegraph.
‘We have two competing legal duties. First, we don’t want to have people in Manston for too long. Secondly, we have a legal duty not to make people destitute. You cannot have thousands of people sent away with no plan to safely accommodate them.’
Holiday parks and former student accommodation blocks are reportedly also being considered as Ms Braverman faces pressure to resolve the overcrowding.
She was allegedly told three weeks ago that the Government was illegally detaining thousands of people at the site, and was warned by officials that she could face expensive court action.
A source told The Sunday Times: ‘The Government is likely to be judicially reviewed and it’s likely that all of them would be granted asylum, so it’s going to achieve the exact opposite of what she wants. These people could also launch a class action against us and cost the taxpayer millions.’
Cabinet minister Michael Gove on Sunday told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme the situation at Manston is ‘deeply concerning’ but he denied that the Home Secretary ignored or dismissed legal advice.
MP Sir Roger Gale, whose constituency includes Manston, said that he wants to see MPs ‘commission enough accommodation’ for migrants to be processed within the 24 our window.
‘The system has broken down because they are not being moved on,’ he told The Telegraph.
The extinguished fire from a petrol bomb at the migrant processing centre in Dover, following an attack on Sunday morning
A view of the docks and the migrant processing centre in Dover, Kent, following the incident
The car – previously covered with a tarpaulin – was concealed from view after police erected a forensic tent around it
The attacker was described as a white man in a checked top, who drove up to the centre in a white SEAT sports utility vehicle
Police officers stand by a tent around the car allegedly involved in an incident near the migrant processing centre in Dover
A police cordon remains outside the nearby petrol station, where the arsonist is understood to have taken his own life
Dozens of people were spotted being evacuated from the compound after the fire broke out
On Saturday, 990 migrants crossed the Channel in 24 boats, adding to the pressure.
A total of 39,430 have now arrived on small boats so far this year – significantly higher than the 28,526 who arrived in 2021.
The Home Office said on Sunday night: ‘The Home Secretary has taken urgent decisions to alleviate issues at Manston and source alternative accommodation. Claims advice was deliberately ignored are completely baseless.
‘It is right we look at all available options so decisions can be made based on the latest operational and legal advice.
‘The number of people arriving in the UK via small boats has reached record levels, which has put our asylum system under incredible pressure and costs the British taxpayer millions of pounds a day.’
On Sunday, the MP for Dover said the ‘truly shocking’ attack should bring new urgency to tackling the Channel crisis.
Ms Elphicke said: ‘With numbers of arrivals spiralling and tensions rising, it’s now vital to see action taken to end the small boats crisis.’
She added that people at the migrant centre are being ‘looked after’ following the ‘dreadful’ attack.
‘I think it is fair to say that tensions have been running high over the last period. And indeed, I’d raised my concerns about that with the immigration minister earlier this week,’ she told LBC radio.
After receiving welfare checks at Western Jet Foil, formerly known as Tug Haven, migrants are moved down the road to a former RAF base in Manston, Kent, for full security checks which should take no more than 24 hours.
On Sunday, witness Gary Smith, 31, claimed the suspect, who ‘looked like he was in his 50s’, was chuckling as he threw the bombs.
He said: ‘I was walking over a nearby bridge and I could see him throwing the bombs.
‘He was just laughing while he was doing it. It was crazy.’
Graham Hall, a 60-year-old international lorry driver from Market Harborough, said ‘it was like all hell broke loose’.
Gary Smith, 31, who saw the incident said that the man laughed as he threw the petrol bombs.
‘I was walking over a nearby bridge and I could see him throwing the bombs,’ he told The Sun.
‘They we’re making loud bangs. I think he threw about four or five. He was just laughing while he was doing it. It was crazy.’
‘I heard what I thought was cannons going off and thought it must have been an event,’ another witness told Kent Online.
‘We paused the TV to hear. There were at least six or seven.
‘To think it was actually explosions that we heard is just so upsetting. I really hope no one is hurt.’
Police arrived on the scene within minutes along with an army bomb disposal team which examined the three explosive devices.
A BP petrol station was cordoned off and officers were seen standing by a white 69-plate SEAT SUV, which was parked by the rear car wash and covered with blue tarpaulin.
Two coaches full of asylum seekers, including a number of small children, were transported out of Western Jet Foil following the attack.
Nearly 40,000 have arrived in the UK so far this year after attempting the treacherous trip from France, crossing the world’s busiest shipping lanes in dinghies and other small boats, provisional figures show.
After around 990 made the crossing on Saturday, more crossings took place yesterday.
The highest number in a single day was set on August 22 when 1,295 people arrived in the country.
It comes after an immigration watchdog said he was left ‘speechless’ by conditions at the Manston migrant processing centre in Kent, and warned the site has already passed the point of being unsafe.
Source: Read Full Article