Terror threats ‘more complex and harder to detect than before’ – Home Secretary

The Home Secretary has vowed to act against the “rising tide of antisemitism” and said the country faces a domestic terror threat that is more complex than ever before in the wake of the Manchester synagogue attack.

Shabana Mahmood addressed MPs on the terror attack on October 2 at Heaton Park Hebrew Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, describing it as “an evil act of antisemitic terrorism”.

Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, who was on bail for an alleged rape, was shot dead by police as he targeted the place of worship on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

Al-Shamie called 999 claiming responsibility for the attack, after driving at people in his car outside the synagogue, and then attacked others with a knife and tried to storm it, wearing a fake suicide belt.

The Home Secretary said on Monday that police powers over frequent protests will be bolstered, after she condemned demonstrations in the days after the attack and October 7 as “un-British”.

Ms Mahmood told the Commons: “These were a clear source of fear to the Jewish community, grieving just days after an unspeakable tragedy.

“The right to protest is a fundamental freedom, but it must be balanced against the right the public has to their safety and their security.

“In my conversations with community leaders and the police in recent days, it is clear that balance has not been struck.”

She said that Sections 12 and 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 will be changed to allow officers to consider the impact of frequent protests when deciding whether to enforce conditions such as a change of route or time of the events.

She added that a review of all public order power laws is being carried out to make sure they are fit for purpose.

“The right to protest must and will be protected, but of all the freedoms we enjoy, none is more precious than the right to live in safety.”

Ms Mahmood said the Government has “stepped up” efforts to tackle antisemitism in schools, universities and the NHS since the Manchester terror attack.

She added: “The reality is, we now face a domestic terrorist threat in this country that is more complex, less predictable and harder to detect than ever before.

“That threat will never be defeated unless we address the hate that fuels it.”

Ms Mahmood also paid tribute to the victims of the attack, Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, who is believed to have been inadvertently shot by police as he ran to block the synagogue doors to stop Al-Shamie getting inside to continue his knife rampage.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct, is carrying out an investigation as standard procedure, and is treating the officers who responded to the terrorist attack in Manchester as witnesses, the Home Secretary has said.

She said that police acted in a situation where “they believed a terrorist was likely to detonate an explosive device”, adding: “There is no ambiguity around who is responsible for the deaths and injuries that took place on that day.”