On 30 October 2022, a

petrol bomb A Molotov cocktail (among several other names – ''see '') is a hand-thrown incendiary weapon consisting of a frangible container filled with flammable substances and equipped with a fuse (typically a glass bottle filled with flammable liqui ...

attack was perpetrated against a

Border Force Border Force (BF) is a British law enforcement command within the Home Office, responsible for frontline border control operations at air, sea and rail ports in the United Kingdom. The force was part of the now defunct UK Border Agency from i ...

centre for processing

migrants Migrant is a term that may refer to: Human migration *Human migration, including: **Emigration, leaving one's resident country with the intent to settle elsewhere. 1988 Webster's Definition. One who migrates, esp. from 1 region to another in sear ...

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

, England. Two people suffered minor injuries. After the attack, the suspect, a 66-year-old man from

High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

, drove to a nearby petrol station where he

killed himself Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or acad ...

Attack

Around 11:20 GMT on 30 October 2022, a man drove a white

Seat Tarraco The SEAT Tarraco is a mid-size crossover SUV (D-segment) manufactured by Spanish automaker SEAT. It is the flagship SUV of the Spanish car maker above the SEAT Arona and the SEAT Ateca, optionally available with seven seats. It is based on the ...

to the

centre in

, and threw two or three

petrol bombs A Molotov cocktail (among several other names – ''see '') is a hand-thrown incendiary weapon consisting of a frangible container filled with flammable substances and equipped with a fuse (typically a glass bottle filled with flammable liquid ...

at the complex. One of the bombs failed to ignite. A witness stated that the attacker then drove to a petrol station and tied a noose around his neck and attached it to a metal pole before driving off, killing himself.

Investigation

Kent Police Kent Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the and approximately 1.8 million inhabitants of Kent, a county in South East England. History On 14 January 1857, a 222-strong 'Kent County Constabulary' was formed under C ...

said that two or three devices had been thrown into a

Home Office The Home Office (HO), also known (especially in official papers and when referred to in Parliament) as the Home Department, is the United Kingdom's interior ministry. It is responsible for public safety and policing, border security, immigr ...

establishment and that investigations were ongoing. They were unable to confirm that the attacker had killed himself. An

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

bomb disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are disabled or otherwise rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated fun ...

unit was sent to the site of the attack and to the petrol station on Limekiln Road to examine a suspect vehicle, where another device was found and later made safe by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit. Police said it was likely a hate attack, driven by a right-wing ideology, and was being investigated by counter-terrorism police.

Suspect

The suspect was Andrew Leak, a 66-year-old man from

. A property in High Wycombe was searched by Thames Valley Police the day after the attack. Leak had posted rants on

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

against Muslims, asylum seekers, China, and

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. Counter-terrorism teams were brought in to investigate him. On 5 November 2022 Counter Terrorism Police South East announced that it had evidence the attack was "motivated by a terrorist ideology" and that the perpetrator had "extreme right-wing motivation".

Motive

Counter Terrorism Policing senior national coordinator Tim Jaques said that while there were "strong indications that mental health was likely a factor" he concluded that the "suspect’s actions were primarily driven by an extremist ideology" and these met the "threshold for a terrorist incident". The suspect was unknown to counter terrorist police and there were no indications he had worked with anyone else.

References

{{Portal bar, Crime, Kent 2022 in England 2020s in Kent Building and structure arson attacks in England Arson in 2022 Hate crimes in Europe Terrorist incidents involving incendiary devices 2022 building bombings Building bombings in England Crime in Kent Firebomb attack October 2022 crimes in Europe October 2022 in the United Kingdom United Kingdom border control Terrorist incidents in England Terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom in 2022 Right-wing terrorist incidents