During the inquest into the 2020 Reading attack, it was revealed that Khairi Saadallah, a Libyan asylum seeker who killed three individuals in Forbury Gardens on June 20, harbored intentions to initiate a revolution in his home country before committing acts of terror in the UK.
The disclosures were made at the Old Bailey, where statements made by Saadallah in 2018 during his time at HMP Bullingdon came to light. These statements included Saadallah’s expressed desire to “start a revolution in Libya” and his subsequent plans to “blow people up” in the UK, raising significant concerns about the sharing of information within the UK’s counter-terrorism framework.
A witness from the security services revealed that MI5 was not aware of Saadallah’s asylum status in the UK until after the attack had occurred. Furthermore, it was disclosed that MI5 had not been informed until two years after Saadallah’s attempt in 2017 to connect with Omar Brooks, also known as Abu Izzadeen, a known Islamist terrorist, while both were in prison.
The investigation following the attack concluded that Saadallah acted alone, without targeting any specific individuals, highlighting the lone-wolf nature of his actions. However, the insights into Saadallah’s earlier intentions towards Libya and the intelligence gaps identified underscore the complexities faced in preempting terrorist threats and stress the need for effective national and international counter-terrorism measures.
The inquest has shed light on the broader issue of Libya’s instability and its impact on global security. Since 2011, the ongoing conflict in Libya has served as a breeding ground for extremist ideologies, demonstrating the global interconnectedness of terrorism.
The case of Saadallah points to the transnational challenges of terrorist threats and emphasizes the importance of international collaboration and efficient intelligence sharing in the fight against extremism. The ongoing inquest into the Reading attack is providing insight into the complex nature of terrorism and underscores the collective efforts required to mitigate such risks.
