Slough man appears in court charged with terror offences
A man charged with terrorism offences, as well as arson attacks on two leisure venues and a bomb hoax, has appeared in court.Ilyas Akhtar, 20, is accused of arson attacks at Salt Hill Activity Centre in Slough, Berkshire, and Slough Ice Arena in May, police have said.He appeared on Saturday at Westminster Magistrates' Court accused of one count of preparing terrorist acts and one count of possessing information that could be used for an attack.Mr Akhtar, of Cress Road in Slough, will next appear at the Old Bailey on June 20.
During Saturday's hearing, he spoke only to confirm his personal details, with no indication of a plea or bail application made.
The activity centre, which includes trampolining and bowling facilities, was allegedly attacked on 31 May.The incident at Slough Ice Arena is said to have occurred on 14 May.A bomb hoax was directed at an Asda supermarket in Telford Drive on 9 May, Counter Terrorism Policing South East previously said.
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The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
Swinney urged to increase powers for authorities in bid to tackle knife crime
Parents have called on First Minister John Swinney to hand increased powers to the authorities for tackling and punishing youth knife crime. On Sunday, a march against knife violence took place throughout the streets of Glasgow. The Parents Against Knives were joined on the march, which started at 1pm, by the family of Kory McCrimmon, who died after an attack involving a bladed weapon on May 31 2024. His family previously said the 16-year-old's life 'will not be in vain' as they urged others to join the march. The 16-year-old died after he was found seriously injured in Greenfield Park in the east end of Glasgow. A 14-year-old was last month sentenced to five years' detention after admitting culpable homicide. Speaking from Barrowfield Community Centre in Glasgow, Kory's father, Neil McCrimmon, told the PA news agency that knife crime has always been a problem in Scotland, but said it has changed in recent years, and that the Scottish Government must act to address the problem. He said: 'Knife crime has always been here, there's no getting away from that. If you go back to the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s, but it's different today. 'This is our children we're talking about, and this is where Mr Swinney needs to make changes. 'They say we should protect children, and by all means we have. 'We've got to safeguard them in every manner, but my point to Mr Swinney is, who is saving the children from the children?' He added: 'And this is the thing, we've not got any deterrent, and the courts, they're no deterrent.' He said the Scottish judicial system's 'hands are tied' with current sentencing guidelines for minors who have committed serious offences, and that the penalty served his son's killer is 'not justice'. He added: 'In my day, you did the crime, you did the time, and that's all we ask for: justice, and justice hasn't been served in our case. 'The other matter is the police. Mr Swinney will tell you the police have got their powers, but the police will tell you they haven't. They've not got the powers when it comes to children. 'So Mr Swinney, give the police their powers, make a difference, that is all we ask.' The march was organised by Kory's aunt, Jackie McTaggart, who says she wants to set up a meeting with the First Minister as a starting point to tackling knife crime, particularly among youths. She said: 'We want to speak to the First Minister and the Justice Secretary, so we're hoping we'll get that soon, and now we've said it publicly in the media. 'We're hoping that's the next step, so we can sit and speak to them and get everybody involved, like the police, the social work department, the youth workers, the school teachers, everybody. 'If we get them all working with our youth, then hopefully we can make a change and make a difference.' The march came in the wake of the deaths of teenagers Amen Teklay and Kayden Moy in separate incidents in recent weeks. Two boys aged 14 and 16 have appeared in court charged with murder following the death of 15-year-old Amen in the Maryhill area of Glasgow on March 5. Kayden, 16, was found seriously injured on Irvine beach in North Ayrshire after police were called to the area at about 6.45pm on May 17. A 14-year-old boy and two 17-year-old boys have appeared in court charged with murder following his death. The Parents Against Knives march set off from Rangers' Ibrox stadium and those taking part were walking to Celtic Park in the east end of the city. Kate Wallace, chief executive of Victim Support Scotland, said: 'Too many lives are being devastated by knife crime in Scotland. 'Behind every statistic, hundreds of lives are irreversibly impacted with tragic consequences for everyone involved: family, friends, siblings, school mates and the wider communities in which we all live. 'We support the Parents Against Knives walk, organised entirely by the McCrimmon family in memory of their son Kory, which will undoubtedly help draw attention to this growing crisis. 'These are complex and sensitive situations which require a multi-agency response from the Scottish Government, victim support organisations, police, social work, youth work and others to work together to tackle knife crime and the devastation it causes. People across Scotland deserve to feel safe in their own communities.' Mr Swinney said: 'We stand in solidarity with all those who took part in the Parents Against Knives march in Glasgow and my heartfelt condolences go to Kory McCrimmon's family and every family who has suffered unimaginable loss due to knife crime. 'As a father, I find the thought of any parent having to endure the grief and trauma of losing a child to knife crime utterly heartbreaking. Glasgow is united and Scotland is united in wanting these horrific incidents to stop. 'We owe it to every family affected to take meaningful action. That's why we have increased investment in prevention, support and enforcement; from record funding for Police Scotland to vital work by Medics Against Violence and the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit. We stand with the families marching and we are committed to driving the change that keeps our young people safe.'
Daily Mail
28 minutes ago
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EXCLUSIVE Jealous lawyer branded her estranged husband's new girlfriend 'scruffy' and 'trampy' and had him arrested over unfounded assault claims
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The Independent
an hour ago
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Sir Mark Rowley ‘shocked' at planned protest in support of Palestine Action
Sir Mark Rowley said he was 'shocked and frustrated' at a planned protest in support of Palestine Action, as the Government moves to ban the group. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner said a protest supporting the 'organised extremist criminal group' was due to take place in Westminster on Monday. He said until the group is proscribed the force has 'no power in law' to prevent the protest taking place, adding that breaches of the law would be 'dealt with robustly'. The Home Secretary will update Parliament on Monday on the Government's plan to ban Palestine Action following the group's vandalism of two planes at an RAF base. Yvette Cooper will provide MPs with more details on the move to proscribe the group, making it a criminal offence to belong to or support it, in a written ministerial statement. The decision comes after the group posted footage online showing two people inside the base at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. The clip shows one person riding an electric scooter up to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and appearing to spray paint into its jet engine. The incident is being investigated by counter-terror police. In a statement on Sunday, Sir Mark said: 'I'm sure many people will be as shocked and frustrated as I am to see a protest taking place tomorrow in support of Palestine Action. 'This is an organised extremist criminal group, whose proscription as terrorists is being actively considered. 'Members are alleged to have caused millions of pounds of criminal damage, assaulted a police officer with a sledgehammer and last week claimed responsibility for breaking into an airbase and damaging aircraft. Multiple members of the group are awaiting trial accused of serious offences. 'The right to protest is essential and we will always defend it, but actions in support of such a group go beyond what most would see as legitimate protest. 'Thousands of people attend protests of a different character every week without clashing with the law or with the police. The criminal charges faced by Palestine Action members, in contrast, represent a form of extremism that I believe the overwhelming majority of the public rejects. 'We have laid out to Government the operational basis on which to consider proscribing this group. If that happens we will be determined to target those who continue to act in its name and those who show support for it. 'Until then we have no power in law to prevent tomorrow's protest taking place. We do, however, have the power to impose conditions on it to prevent disorder, damage, and serious disruption to the community, including to Parliament, to elected representatives moving around Westminster and to ordinary Londoners. 'Breaches of the law will be dealt with robustly.' A spokesperson for Palestine Action previously accused the UK of failing to meet its obligation to prevent or punish genocide. The spokesperson said: 'When our Government fails to uphold their moral and legal obligations, it is the responsibility of ordinary citizens to take direct action. The terrorists are the ones committing a genocide, not those who break the tools used to commit it.' Cabinet minister Jonathan Reynolds said he could not rule out the possibility of a foreign power being behind Palestine Action. The Business and Trade Secretary told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: 'It is extremely concerning they gained access to that base and the Defence Secretary is doing an immediate review of how that happened. 'The actions that they undertook at Brize Norton were also completely unacceptable and it's not the first. It's the fourth attack by that group on a key piece of UK defence infrastructure.' The Home Secretary has the power to proscribe an organisation under the Terrorism Act of 2000 if she believes it is 'concerned in terrorism'. Proscription will require Ms Cooper to lay an order in Parliament, which must then be debated and approved by both MPs and peers. Some 81 organisations have been proscribed under the 2000 Act, including Islamist terrorist groups such as Hamas and al Qaida, far-right groups such as National Action, and Russian private military company the Wagner Group. Former justice secretary Lord Charlie Falconer said vandalising aircraft at RAF Brize Norton would not solely provide legal justification for proscribing the group. Asked whether the group's actions were commensurate with proscription, Lord Falconer told Sky News's Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips: 'I am not aware of what Palestine Action has done beyond the painting of things on the planes in Brize Norton, they may have done other things I didn't know. 'But generally, that sort of demonstration wouldn't justify proscription so there must be something else that I don't know about.' Former Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf said the Government was 'abusing' anti-terror laws against pro-Palestine activists, as tens of thousands of protesters marched in London on Saturday. Belonging to or expressing support for a proscribed organisation, along with a number of other actions, are criminal offences carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison. The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) welcomed the news that Ms Cooper intended to proscribe Palestine Action, saying: 'Nobody should be surprised that those who vandalised Jewish premises with impunity have now been emboldened to sabotage RAF jets.' Former home secretary Suella Braverman also said it was 'absolutely the correct decision'. A pro-Palestine protester at Saturday's march in central London said it was 'absolutely horrendous' that the Government was preparing to ban Palestine Action. Artist Hannah Woodhouse, 61, told the PA news agency: 'Counter-terrorism measures, it seems, are being used against non-violent peace protesters. 'The peace activists are trying to do the Government's job, which is to disarm Israel.' Palestine Action has staged a series of demonstrations in recent months, including spraying the London offices of Allianz Insurance with red paint over its alleged links to Israeli defence company Elbit, and vandalising Donald Trump's Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire.
