A review into terror legislation after murders committed by Axel Rudakubana has found that planning a mass killing must become an offence. Photo: Merseyside Police / AFP
A review into terror legislation after murders committed by Axel Rudakubana has found that planning a mass killing must become an offence. Photo: Merseyside Police / AFP
A review into terror legislation after murders committed by Axel Rudakubana has found that planning a mass killing must become an offence. Photo: Merseyside Police / AFP
A review into terror legislation after murders committed by Axel Rudakubana has found that planning a mass killing must become an offence. Photo: Merseyside Police / AFP

Britain’s terror watchdog wants new law to cover loners planning mass killings


Thomas Harding
  • English
  • Arabic

Britain needs a new law to prevent young men radicalised on social media from planning mass killings but does not need a wider definition of terrorism, the UK’s terrorism reviewer has said.

After the outrage and subsequent riots over the stabbing to death of three young girls at a Taylor Swift dance class in Southport last summer, Jonathan Hall KC led an investigation into whether new terror laws or an updated definition was required.

The attack, in which another eight girls were injured, was carried out by Axel Rudakubana, 19, who was found with Al Qaeda and other radical literature.

Police “could not arrest” the Southport killer before he carried out his attack because of a gap in the law, Mr Hall said. It was “horrifying” that charges could not be brought against the then 17-year-old when he was known to be making plans for an attack, he said.

The riots that followed the Southport killings, fuelled largely by far-right misinformation on social media claiming Rudakubana was an Islamist extremist, led the government to consider new legislation.

Mr Hall considered whether the definition of terrorism should be changed to include mass violence without a political, religious, racial or other ideological motivation. It would potentially have had severe ramifications for the insurance sector, which would have had to deal with numerous acts of violence being considered terrorism.

The adviser concluded the law should not be changed and on Thursday recommended creating a new law, making it easier to prevent planned mass attacks before they happen.

It was clear “that there is a real and not theoretical gap for lone individuals who plan mass killings”, he said.

He suggested creating a new offence where someone intent on killing two or more people and was preparing to carry out that attack can receive a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

A government spokesman said to tackle “horrific acts driven by a fixation on extreme violence”, the law would be changed to “fix the legislation to close the gaps identified”.

Left to right, Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar were killed by Axel Rudakubana. Photo: Merseyside Police / PA
Left to right, Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar were killed by Axel Rudakubana. Photo: Merseyside Police / PA

Terrorism not redefined

The independent reviewer of terrorism’s report was commissioned after Prime Minister Keir Starmer questioned whether terror laws should change in the face of the “new threat” that came from “extreme violence carried out by loners, misfits, young men in their bedrooms”.

But Mr Hall argued that the legal definition was “already wide” and expanding the threshold would lead to “unacceptable restrictions on freedom of expression”.

“The risk of unintended consequences through rushed reform is extremely high,” he added.

Robert Jenrick, shadow justice minister, welcomed the findings, calling them an “important intervention”. “When it comes to disclosing information about crime, sunlight is the best disinfectant,” he wrote on X.

British government adviser Jonathan Hall has concluded the definition of terrorism does not need expanding. Photo: 6KBW College Hill
British government adviser Jonathan Hall has concluded the definition of terrorism does not need expanding. Photo: 6KBW College Hill

Loners not terrorists

Rudakubana had been referred to the Prevent organisation, aimed at countering terrorism, on three occasions but it was never taken further as he was deemed outside of its remit. Under current legislation, prosecutors could not charge him under terror laws as there was no evidence he had an ideological cause.

Mr Hall said it was down to police discretion to decide who to arrest and under which laws, but that broadening the terrorism definition would “risk major false positives” and the prosecution of people “who by no stretch of the imagination are terrorists”.

“People swapping violent war footage would be at risk of encouraging terrorism, resulting in unacceptable restrictions on freedom of expression,” he added.

Britain’s main protection against lone attacks by people radicalised online was not terrorism legislation but “what counts is gun control”, Mr Hall said, referring to the UK’s strict firearms laws.

But he warned that future school killings were “foreseeable” and could start a copycat craze, “most likely amongst the cohort of isolated, often bullied teenagers with poor mental health ... for whom grudges and grievances become reasons for violence". However, he said “few will be terrorists applying the definition”.

Axel Rudakubana walking to a bus stop before his murderous attack in Southport last year. PA
Axel Rudakubana walking to a bus stop before his murderous attack in Southport last year. PA

Online hate

With social media the main news outlet for most people, and with significant disinformation spread after the Southport killing, Mr Hall recommended a change to contempt of court laws to allow police to publicise accurate information in highly sensitive cases.

“In the digital era, if the police do not take the lead in providing clear, accurate and sober details about an attack like Southport, others will,” he said. “Social media is a source of news for many people and near silence in the face of horrific events of major public interest is no longer an option."

Rudakubana was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in prison for the murders of Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and the attempted murders of eight other children.

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Other simple ideas for sushi rice dishes

Cheat’s nigiri 
This is easier to make than sushi rolls. With damp hands, form the cooled rice into small tablet shapes. Place slices of fresh, raw salmon, mackerel or trout (or smoked salmon) lightly touched with wasabi, then press, wasabi side-down, onto the rice. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.

Easy omurice
This fusion dish combines Asian fried rice with a western omelette. To make, fry cooked and cooled sushi rice with chopped vegetables such as carrot and onion and lashings of sweet-tangy ketchup, then wrap in a soft egg omelette.

Deconstructed sushi salad platter 
This makes a great, fuss-free sharing meal. Arrange sushi rice on a platter or board, then fill the space with all your favourite sushi ingredients (edamame beans, cooked prawns or tuna, tempura veggies, pickled ginger and chilli tofu), with a dressing or dipping sauce on the side.

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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

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Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
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The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo

Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm

Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km

Price: from Dh94,900

On sale: now

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Price, base: Dh315,000

Engine: 3.0-litre V6

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 335hp @ 5,000rpm

Torque: 500Nm @ 1,370rpm

Fuel economy 5.9L / 100km

The Brutalist

Director: Brady Corbet

Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn

Rating: 3.5/5

What sanctions would be reimposed?

Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:

  • An arms embargo
  • A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
  • A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
  • A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
  • Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
  • George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
  • Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
  • Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
  • Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills. 
Hunting park to luxury living
  • Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
  • The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
  • Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds

 

BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)

Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm) 
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm) 
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm) 
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn  (4.30pm) 
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm) 
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)

Sunday, May 17

Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)

Monday, May 18

Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Specs

Engine: 3.0L twin-turbo V6
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 405hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 562Nm at 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.2L/100km
Price: From Dh292,845 (Reserve); from Dh320,145 (Presidential)
On sale: Now

Record breaker
  • The most total field goals made in NBA history, as well as the most consecutive games scoring 10 or more points
  • The only player in NBA history to reach 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists
  • Four-time regular season MVP and four-time NBA Finals MVP
  • Six-time NBA All-Defensive selection. Rookie of the Year in 2004
  • The most All-NBA selections with 21 in a row, including a record 13 first team selections
  • The most consecutive All-Star selections with 21
  • The only player to play alongside his son; Bronny James was chosen by the Lakers in the 2024 NBA draft

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

If you go

The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road. 

The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
 

Updated: March 13, 2025, 10:40 PM