Call for closer monitoring of people who have asylum declined
The man who detonated a bomb outside Liverpool Women's Hospital had asylum claims rejected
A counter-terrorism expert is calling for closer monitoring of people who have had their asylum claims refused.
It's after an investigation into the terror attack outside Liverpool Women's Hospital in 2021 found that a likely motive was anger towards the British state for repeated rejections of the bomber's asylum claim.
Emad Al Swealmeen, 32, denonated a home-made device in a taxi outside the hospital just before 11am on 14 November 2021.
The investigation concluded that the attack was planned for around 20 months and that he acted alone.
Dr David Lowe, counter-terrorism expert and former Merseyside Police officer, said:
"Closer monitoring of those whose asylum has been declined and having some system in place to support them.
"I don't meet to sound strange when I talk about supporting them, when they're here illegally, but by supporting them and keeping a closer monitoring of them - it keeps us safer.
"It just doesn't leave an individual wandering on their own with their own thoughts and so on like we saw here. It would keep us safer.
"It's putting that measure in place and I think that's something that should be taken seriously and should be done immediately."
In a statement published after the findings were released, Merseyside's Police and Crime Commissioner says it raises more concern about the effectiveness of the asylum system.
Emily Spurrell said:
"Nothing will ever excuse or justify Al Swealmeen’s despicable decision to build and detonate a bomb at the Women’s Hospital on 14th November 2021. His actions risked the lives of hundreds of patients and staff.
"Whilst a precise motive for the attack remains unclear, it is important we try to understand what influenced him to carry out his cowardly deed to better prepare for and deter any attempts to cause mass devastation in the future.
"Today’s report raises more concerns around the effectiveness of our asylum system, the way claims are processed, support available to asylum seekers and what procedures are used to monitor those individuals who are refused permission to live in the UK.
"These incidents are thankfully very rare, and I want to reassure our communities that Merseyside Police and Counter Terrorism North-West work around the clock, with all partner agencies to prevent them from happening.
"I’d like to thank Counter-Terrorism officers who have diligently and meticulously followed every line of inquiry to find out why the bombing happened as well as the emergency services and partner organisations for their response to the incident. I’m also grateful to all our communities who came together to support each other and our asylum seeker community in the wake of the incident.
"Liverpool is a diverse city built on multi-culturalism and it’s a place that proudly welcomes people from across the world into its heart. As we’ve seen in the past, when the city and the wider Merseyside region faces adversity or tragedy, people come together, and it’s that spirit of community that defines us all. Hate and division and those who attempt to inflict it will never be tolerated here.
"If you see or hear anything suspicious or unusual then you should always report it. You can do so by contacting the police direct or by visiting gov.uk/ACT where you can file a report in confidence.
"If you’ve been affected by any events outlined in this report then our Victim Care Merseyside Hub has a team of trained staff on hand who can provide tailored, emotional, and practical support. You can find more information at www.victimcaremerseyside.org or by calling Freephone 0808 175 3080. Alternatively, you can access support from the Peace Foundation at https://www.peace-foundation.org.uk/."
Al Swealmeen built the device using items bought legally over a number of months.
Some of the items bought online included chemicals, filter papers, chemistry flasks, and steelball bearings.
Detective Superindendent Andy Meeks, from Counter Terrorism Policing North West, said:
"There is a dedicated team within counter-terrorism policing who work very closely with online retailers to try and make it more difficult for people who would wish to carry out terrorist attacks to acquire these types of material online.
"There is some new legislation, the Poisons Act has been updated and that puts much more of a requirement on online retailers to obtain more customer information before they sell these types of chemicals and materials to them. They have to provide photographic ID, for example.
"There are much stronger requirements on online retailers to report their suspicions to the police, so there is a lot of work going on to make this type of activity more difficult in the future."