There's a lot of chat going on about the terrorism charges levelled at the Southport child murder suspect...
Here's an attempt at a fair summary of events and what it might mean.
Starmer could be in serious trouble.
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Earlier today, police announced that they have formally charged 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana, the suspect of the vile Southport child murders, with two new offences.
In addition to the murder charges of 3 beautiful young girls—Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe, and Alice da Silva Aguiar—Rudakubana was charged under Section 1 of the Bio Weapons Act 1974, and under Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000, for possessing an al-Qaeda training manual.
The additional charges, discovered during an investigation of Rudakubana’s home in the Lancashire village of Banks, include production of ricin and possession of a PDF titled ‘Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants—the al-Qaeda training manual’.
Given the lethal nature of ricin and the links to jihadist material, one would assume that Counter Terrorism Police would classify the case as terrorism. However, they’ve refrained, citing lack of evidence of a “motive.”
At a press conference earlier today, Merseyside Police Chief Superintendent Serena Kennedy cautioned the public against assumption:
“I would strongly advise everyone to avoid speculation about the motivation in this case.”
Kennedy emphasised that the criminal proceedings are ongoing and warned that any commentary could compromise Rudakubana’s right to a fair trial.
Her advice seems ironic. Kennedy had no hesitation in labelling protesters who gathered in Southport as “far-right" on July 31st.
It was a quick judgment on her part in comparison. No official, thorough investigations had determined their motivations behind the protests.
The discovery of extremist material takes on further significance, considering some of the media’s reactions following the stabbings.
On August 19th, the BBC declared “false online rumours” fuelled the violence associating Rudakubana with Islam—later supplementing it with more articles theorising about online chatrooms “fanning the flames”.
For context, a recent Sky News investigation revealed that most of the influential accounts driving "disinformation" and "orchestrating" "far-right" riots in the UK originated from overseas users.
Other outlets, such as the Mirror and the Daily Record, frequently referenced the suspect’s Christian father and his prior involvement in a local choir.
British-Nigerian lawyer and activist Adeshola Mos-Shogbamimu, a frequent figure in the progressive media, stated Rudakubana was a “Black British Christian… born and bred in the UK” and emphatically “NOT Muslim.”
Indeed, possession of extremist religious materials does not equate to motivation, yet it strongly suggests an ideological link.
The government and authorities agreed that “misinformation” sparked widespread unrest. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper repeated such concerns in the House of Commons days after the murders.
Even our broadcasting regulator agreed, saying there is a clear link between “misleading content” and violent disorder.
In reality, determining the true reasons—objectively— behind public anger remains complex; the govt's assertions of “misinformation” sidestep the possibility that protestors and/or rioters had broader concerns, whether over immigration or perceived inaction by authorities.
Earlier this month, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum said that roughly 75 per cent of terror threats his teams were dealing were “Islamic inspired”, with 25 per cent relating to “far-right” extremism.
But then Telegraph and Critic journalist Charlie Bentley-Astor dropped the real bombshell…
She revealed that police on the scene had informed a Reform party candidate that Rudakubana’s actions were motivated by Islamic extremism.
The question begs: was the information deliberately withheld from the start? When did police know of the link?
In an equally scandalous development, outlet Guido Fawkes revealed that when they published an article last week questioning why Rudakubana’s case had been delayed, authorities went to the extent of directly contacting and pressuring them to pull the story.
The implications of concealing such details go beyond this case alone, touching on a deeper, more systemic issue of public trust, as does the authorities’ attempt to pressure a retraction.
The terrorism charges also touch on the prosecution and sentencing of those for saying supposedly “inflammatory” things online. The Free Speech Union thinks a number of alleged offenders could have grounds for lawsuits.
Many ppl arrested in Aug for social media posts about the murders faced intense police pressure to plead guilty.
Did police anticipate news of a link to an Islamist training manual would surface, potentially weakening the case for conviction?
If our police and the Prime Minister encouraged the systematic targeting of individuals aware of the suspect’s potential links to Islam for “stirring up racial/religious hatred” despite its truth, the cultural—and possibly political—repercussions could be seismic.
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