Britain’s terror law watchdog, Jonathan Hall KC, has urged the government and police to be more open about criminal investigations to avoid an information gap being filled by social media. His comments come as questions continue to be raised about what the government knew and when about the alleged Southport attacker, Axel Rudakubana. Rudakubana, an 18-year-old accused of murdering three girls at a dance class in Southport, will face additional charges of possessing ricin and an al-Qaida document.
Hall, who is the independent reviewer of terrorism laws, believes that the authorities should put all the information they can in the public domain to avoid speculation and mistrust. He warns that if there is an information gap, social media will try to fill it, which can lead to the spreading of misinformation. Hall also highlights the importance of distinguishing between violent attacks carried out by individuals and those that are considered acts of terrorism.
The Southport case has sparked a lot of controversy, with Conservative Party leadership contender Robert Jenrick suggesting that there may have been a cover-up over the events surrounding the Southport attacks. Jenrick is critical of the government’s handling of the situation, saying that the public has not been told the truth and that there has been a loss of trust in the police and the criminal justice process. He wants to know when the Prime Minister knew about the additional charges and why the police did not reveal this information earlier.
Terror Law Watchdog Calls for Transparency in Southport Attack Case Amid Allegations of Government Cover-Up (Image via Getty)
Kemi Badenoch, another Conservative Party leadership contender, has also expressed her concerns, saying that there are serious questions to be asked of the police, the CPS, and Keir Starmer’s response to the situation. She believes that Parliament is the right place for this to happen and that appropriate scrutiny is necessary.
The case has also raised questions about what was known about Rudakubana’s alleged connections to terrorist groups. The UK’s Crown Prosecution Service had to have authorization from the government law officers to bring the ricin charge, and it was only recently that senior figures in the British government were told about the possibility of new charges.
The situation is precarious, with Rudakubana set to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court by videolink on Wednesday charged with production of a biological toxin, ricin, and possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing to commit an act of terrorism.
