The attack with incendiary devices on an immigrant reception center in Dover, in the south of England, last Sunday is a “terrorist act”, the British anti-terrorist police in charge of the investigation announced on Saturday.
“Having reviewed the evidence collected thus far, and while strong evidence indicates that (the suspect’s) mental health is certainly a factor, I am satisfied that the suspect’s actions were primarily motivated by ideological extremism, which corresponds to the definition of a terrorist act,” Tim Jacques, a senior British counter-terrorism police officer, was quoted as saying in a press release.
Last Sunday, around 11:20 British time (12:20 French time), several incendiary devices were thrown at an immigrant reception center in Dover. The suspect had arrived alone by car before throwing the devices. Two officers were slightly injured and 700 migrants had to be temporarily escorted to another site.
Almost 40,000 migrants crossed the English Channel in 2022
The attack comes as the UK sees a record number of migrant arrivals on the country’s southern shores on small boats, with almost 40,000 people having already crossed the dangerous Channel since the start of the year, far more than in all of 2021.
The suspect, Andrew Leak, a 66-year-old man who lives in High Wycombe, northwest London, was found dead in his car shortly after the attack. According to the British press, he would have ended his life, which the authorities have not yet officially confirmed.
The elements of the investigation collected so far “suggest that there was an extreme right-wing motivation behind this attack,” explains the anti-terrorist police in their press release.
“There is currently nothing to suggest that the man involved has worked with other people and nothing to suggest that there is a broader threat at this time,” the police further specify.
Source: BFM TV
