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Terrorism in the UK in 2020 - a thread
England saw 3 attacks in the year, all by freed or serving prisoners, in HMP Whitemoor, Streatham and Reading
The Reading attacker, Khairi Saadallah, has admitted murder but a court will decide if it was terrorism https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/reading-attack-khairi-saadallah-murder-latest-b1721224.html
England saw 3 attacks in the year, all by freed or serving prisoners, in HMP Whitemoor, Streatham and Reading
The Reading attacker, Khairi Saadallah, has admitted murder but a court will decide if it was terrorism https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/reading-attack-khairi-saadallah-murder-latest-b1721224.html
The Streatham attacker, Sudesh Amman, was shot dead by police after attempting a knife rampage in a London shopping street on 2 February
An inquest will look into the case, including how he mounted the attack while under heavy surveillance https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/sudesh-amman-streatham-terror-attack-london-police-prison-release-stabbings-a9314011.html
An inquest will look into the case, including how he mounted the attack while under heavy surveillance https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/sudesh-amman-streatham-terror-attack-london-police-prison-release-stabbings-a9314011.html
The HMP Whitemoor attack saw two inmates - a jailed terror plotter and radicalised violent criminal - try to murder a prison officer on a high-security wing on 9 January
The case raised fresh concern over terrorist networking and safety in jails https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/terror-attacks-uk-hmp-whitemoor-prison-ziamani-hockton-isis-b886348.html
The case raised fresh concern over terrorist networking and safety in jails https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/terror-attacks-uk-hmp-whitemoor-prison-ziamani-hockton-isis-b886348.html
The biggest terror case of the year was the trial of Hashem Abedi, the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber, who had helped prepare for the attack
He denied all charges but admitted his part in the attack, and that it was for Isis, after being jailed https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/hashem-abedi-jailed-murder-manchester-arena-bomber-brother-a9679746.html
He denied all charges but admitted his part in the attack, and that it was for Isis, after being jailed https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/hashem-abedi-jailed-murder-manchester-arena-bomber-brother-a9679746.html
His trial delayed the start of a public inquiry into the bombing, amid questions over MI5 assessments of Salman Abedi, the failure to prevent the bombing and emergency response
The inquiry will continue hearing evidence in the new year https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/manchester-arena-bombing-inquiry-salman-abedi-radicalisation-abdalraouf-abdallah-b421140.html
The inquiry will continue hearing evidence in the new year https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/manchester-arena-bombing-inquiry-salman-abedi-radicalisation-abdalraouf-abdallah-b421140.html
There were developments in the case of Shamima Begum, who is attempting to return to the UK for a court battle over the deprivation over her British citizenship
Begum is currently detained in a Syrian camp while the Supreme Court considers her appeal https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/shamima-begum-isis-syria-citizenship-appeal-b1761165.html
Begum is currently detained in a Syrian camp while the Supreme Court considers her appeal https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/shamima-begum-isis-syria-citizenship-appeal-b1761165.html
English courts also considered the case of two alleged members of the Isis 'Beatles' cell, who will go on trial in the US following a High Court ruling
Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh are accused of torturing hostages and conspiring to murder them https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/isis-beatles-us-trial-high-court-ruling-terror-b530108.html
Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh are accused of torturing hostages and conspiring to murder them https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/isis-beatles-us-trial-high-court-ruling-terror-b530108.html
A key feature of the year was a significant number of neo-Nazi terrorism cases, some featuring very young defendants
Feuerkrieg Division member Paul Dunleavy, who was jailed for preparing acts of terrorism, was 16 when he committed the offences https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/neo-nazis-uk-rugby-teenager-paul-dunleavy-feuerkrieg-division-jailed-b1647248.html
Feuerkrieg Division member Paul Dunleavy, who was jailed for preparing acts of terrorism, was 16 when he committed the offences https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/neo-nazis-uk-rugby-teenager-paul-dunleavy-feuerkrieg-division-jailed-b1647248.html
Another boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was jailed in January over plans to firebomb synagogues and other buildings as part of what he believed was an upcoming “race war”
Last week, he was given a new sentence for child sex offences https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/neo-nazi-durham-attacks-boy-sex-offences-b1778347.html
Last week, he was given a new sentence for child sex offences https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/neo-nazi-durham-attacks-boy-sex-offences-b1778347.html
Child sex offences, indecent images and extreme porn have featured in the indictments against numerous neo-Nazi terror offenders
Another example is Harry Vaughan who made extremist propaganda and joined a spin-off of the National Action terrorist group https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/neo-nazis-uk-terrorism-attacks-harry-vaughan-b1536489.html
Another example is Harry Vaughan who made extremist propaganda and joined a spin-off of the National Action terrorist group https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/neo-nazis-uk-terrorism-attacks-harry-vaughan-b1536489.html
Yet another 2020 example of a mix of terror and indecent image offences is Jacek Tchorzewski
He had links to the Sonnenkrieg Division terrorist group, and was imprisoned for terror offences in 2019 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/neo-nazi-child-abuse-prison-sentence-porn-sonnenkrieg-division-a9632636.html
He had links to the Sonnenkrieg Division terrorist group, and was imprisoned for terror offences in 2019 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/neo-nazi-child-abuse-prison-sentence-porn-sonnenkrieg-division-a9632636.html
Increasingly, neo-Nazi offenders in the UK are being driven by James Mason's Siege ideology and esoteric/mystical forms of neo-Nazism
A prominent propagandist who spread such ideas in international online communities, Luke Hunter, was jailed last week https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/neo-nazi-jailed-luke-hunter-telegram-b1778391.html
A prominent propagandist who spread such ideas in international online communities, Luke Hunter, was jailed last week https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/neo-nazi-jailed-luke-hunter-telegram-b1778391.html
British police and security services have dramatically increased their efforts against neo-Nazi threats since National Action was banned as a terrorist group in 2016
15 followers have been jailed for membership, with the last group sentenced in June https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/national-action-grandaddy-terror-miss-hitler-jail-neo-nazi-alice-cutter-mark-jones-a9556286.html
15 followers have been jailed for membership, with the last group sentenced in June https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/national-action-grandaddy-terror-miss-hitler-jail-neo-nazi-alice-cutter-mark-jones-a9556286.html
At the same time, Isis supporters have continued to mount terror plots and encourage attacks
Last month, an Isis-supporting drug dealer was jailed for encouraging terror attacks.He was part of an online jihadi community which is the focus of another case https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/shehroz-iqbal-isis-terror-drugs-b1759217.html
Last month, an Isis-supporting drug dealer was jailed for encouraging terror attacks.He was part of an online jihadi community which is the focus of another case https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/shehroz-iqbal-isis-terror-drugs-b1759217.html
In June, a female Isis supporter who plotted to bomb St Paul’s Cathedral and other London targets was jailed for life after an undercover sting
Safiyya Amira Shaikh, a Muslim convert, was also a prolific online propagandist on Telegram https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/safiyya-shaikh-isis-trial-st-pauls-cathedral-london-terror-attack-bomb-prison-sentence-a9599791.html
Safiyya Amira Shaikh, a Muslim convert, was also a prolific online propagandist on Telegram https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/safiyya-shaikh-isis-trial-st-pauls-cathedral-london-terror-attack-bomb-prison-sentence-a9599791.html
Weeks later, a man who attempted a terror attack outside Buckingham Palace in 2017 was jailed for mounting a new plot after being freed from prison
Mohiussunnath Chowdhury had networked with terrorists including the Parsons Green bomber inside jail https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/mohiussunnath-chowdhury-buckingham-palace-sword-attack-jailed-prison-a9610821.html
Mohiussunnath Chowdhury had networked with terrorists including the Parsons Green bomber inside jail https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/mohiussunnath-chowdhury-buckingham-palace-sword-attack-jailed-prison-a9610821.html
This is just a fraction of the terror cases that passed through British courts this year - there were many other offenders jailed for offences including possessing and disseminating terrorist material
Some alleged plotters, including a teenage boy, were also cleared of charges
Some alleged plotters, including a teenage boy, were also cleared of charges
