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The firebombing of an immigration centre in Dover was motivated by extreme right-wing terrorist ideology, police have confirmed.
Counter Terrorism Policing South East has said on Saturday they have recovered evidence indicating it was ‘motivated by a terrorist ideology’.
The incident, which took place on October 30, saw three petrol bombs being thrown towards Manston processing centre before the perpetrator took his own life.
Andrew Leak, 66, from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, killed himself after throwing three ‘crude’ incendiary devices at the Western Jet Foil site, in Kent, last Sunday.
After hurling the petrol bombs, he told coach drivers waiting to transport migrants: ‘Do you know what you’re doing? Your children should be raped and killed!’
Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) said on Saturday evidence has been recovered that indicates the attack was motivated by an ‘extreme right-wing’ terrorist ideology.
Two members of staff at the centre were left with minor injuries after police were called to the centre at 11.22am on Sunday morning.
One of the three bombs is understood not to have gone off, while two others are believed to have become ignited
Two members of staff sustained minor injuries as a result of the firebombs, but no-one was seriously hurt
Andrew Leak, 66, was named as the petrol bomber shortly after the incident last Sunday
Leak’s social media contained multiple photos and right-wing posts, including showing him to be a fan of the Joker
The bomb thrown from a window. Another improvised explosive was found in the car after the driver died
Terror police have been investigating the case of divorced father-of-two Andrew Leak, 66, who had a history of deluded online rants against Muslims
The driver left the scene and went to a nearby petrol station where he killed himself
Another fire burns next to the Border Force centre after the firebomb attack in Dover
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
‘A number of significant witnesses have been spoken to during the course of the investigation and a number of items of interest have been recovered, including digital media devices,’ a statement said.
‘Evidence from examining these items suggests there was an extreme right wing motivation behind the attack.’
Tim Jacques, senior national coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said that despite there being ‘strong indications that mental health was likely a factor’. he was ‘satisfied that the suspect’s actions were primarily driven by an extremist ideology.’
He added the firebombing was ‘a terrorist incident.’
Police said there is no evidence Leak was working with anyone else or there is any wider threat to the public.
Leak, who was said to be laughing as he through the incendiary devices, was a Joker-obsessed, far-Right-supporting cannabis smoker who suffered from mental health issues following the death of his son and had his penis removed because of cancer.
He drove around 120 miles from his home in Buckinghamshire to the processing centre in Dover, which was suffering from severe overcrowding and welfare issues at the time.
Leak was said to be a suspected paedophile who had previously threatened to kill himself while being questioned by police.
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’s car, involved in the incident near the migrant processing centre in Dover, Kent
Leak drove to a nearby petrol station after the incident, during which witnesses said he was ‘laughing’
Leak resided in Wooburn Green, Buckinghamshire (pictured). Kent Police and Thames Valley Police began searching his property yesterday after confirming he was from the area
Police previously raided a High Wycombe property after the petrol bomber 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 the Buckinghamshire property after confirming that the Dover migrant centre firebomber was from the area.
Facebook posts on a now-deleted account under the name of an Andy Leak from High Wycombe contain islamophobia and complaints about people claiming benefits if they do not speak English.
One, shared on August 9, said: ‘The next time the job centre sanctions your money for not looking for enough work ask them about the thousands of people getting benefits cannot speak English and can not write English, how are they looking for work?
‘Unemployment benefits clearly state you cannot claim benefits if not looking for work, all of these people should be excluded from benefits.
A chilling tweet from Andrew Leak, 66, that was posted on his now-deleted Twitter feed leading up to the attack in Dover on Sunday
Vile social media posts included paranoid theories on the Covid vaccine and even suggesting the World Economic Forum was connected to Nazism, as well as an anti-royal family post on March 20
Leak, 66, drove ‘more than 100 miles’ to lob three home-made explosives at the Western Jet Foil centre on Sunday morning
‘You can clearly not look for work if you cannot read English or speak English, they are breaking the law, time to stand up.’
Another post, on July 24, said: ‘All Muslims are guilty of grooming, they never spoke out because it wasn’t their daughters, f****** animals wake up up.
‘They only rape non-Muslims that’s a religious hate crime are you f****** stupid.’
Other vile social media posts included paranoid theories on the Covid vaccine and even suggesting the World Economic Forum was connected to Nazism.
He had a history of sharing far-Right content from extremist groups including Traditional Britain Group, Turning Point UK and the US-based Islamophobic movement ACT for America.
Leak shared a transphobic article from conservative news site The Blaze and would reference far-Right activist Tommy Robinson, a study of his profile by campaign group Hope Not Hate found.
He also shared videos connected to common far-Right conspiracy theories including ‘New World Order’ and used other slogans common among conspiracy theorists, such as ‘we do not consent’, it found.
On July 28, roughly three months before the attack, in a garbled post he wrote: ‘I have 12 weeks to get you ready.’
It appears Leak may have believed his shocking attack was honouring a pledge he made last October to ‘end illegal immigration into this country within one year’. He boasted online that he had ‘sent a parcel to the British government’ with his threat last year.
Lorry driver Mark Wilkinson, who saw Leak’s car at the petrol station, 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.’
Tim Jacques, senior national coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said: ‘This was clearly a very worrying incident and although nobody was seriously hurt, two people did sustain minor injuries.
‘Increasingly in counter terrorism casework, across all ideologies, we are seeing individuals who have mental health concerns and a hateful mind-set.
‘Assessing when this crosses the terrorism threshold is a complex process and needs to be carefully considered on a case-by-case basis.
‘These decisions need to be determined by the facts, as far as they can be established at any given time.
‘After considering the evidence collected so far in this case, whilst there are strong indications that mental health was likely a factor, I am satisfied that the suspect’s actions were primarily driven by an extremist ideology.
‘This meets the threshold for a terrorist incident.’
Both MI5 and counter-terrorism police are being updated as the investigation, run by Kent Police, continues.
This story is being updated.
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