Is Speakers Corner linked to Terrorism?
As Tommy Robinson arrived in Court 2 of the Old Bailey on Thursday 27 September 2018 to have his contempt of court case considered, few realised that next door in Court 1, Salih Khater, the man accused of attempting to launch a terror attack in Westminster in August, was also appearing (via video link from Belmarsh prison).
Khater allegedly drove his Ford Fiesta into cyclists and pedestrians outside the Houses of Parliament before swerving towards police officers and crashing into a security barrier. Khater was arrested by armed police following the incident, which left three people with non-life threatening injuries and is being treated as terrorism. He has been charged with two counts of attempted murder and his full trial has been set for 4 February 2019.
Outside of the Old Bailey, one and a half thousand supporters of Robinson were gathered on the street to give support. However, interestingly, three other specific individuals were spotted, who certainly would not normally be considered typical fans of Robinson. Each are recognised Islamic radical suspects who have regularly attended Speakers Corner.
Ricardo McFarlane, or Abdul Hakim as he now prefers to be called, was first spotted. McFarlane previously prayed with one of the London Bridge terrorists, Khuram Butt, and was filmed with him in the Channel 4 documentary “Jihadi Next Door”. He is also a known associate of convicted hate preacher and Islamic State supporter Anjem Choudary, who is due to be released from prison in October. McFarlane infamously refused to stand for the judge when being questioned in court about the London Bridge attack.
McFarlane was then joined by another regular from Speakers Corner, whose name is unknown. Both behaved extremely sheepishly when approached and asked about the terrorism case, stating “no comment”.
Later a third individual appeared who has also been a regular at Speakers Corner, is believed to hold radical Islamic beliefs and has previously been reported to the police due to concerns regarding his beliefs. He appeared quite concerned at the large crowd that was present outside the Old Bailey and at being spotted. Having made enquiries with the police he proceeded to the entrance of the Old Bailey.
Once he had entered the building he passed the friends and family of Robinson as they were waiting to enter court room 2. A brief meeting that neither realised the significance of.
Though the evidence may be circumstantial, it certainly begs the question of why were these three men present at the Old Bailey on the 27 September? Are they secret fans of Tommy Robinson, fascinated by the machinations of his contempt of court case? Or are they actually interested in the Khater case? If the latter, then this must beg the question, why? If they are known to hold some of the more radical views from Islam, have previous associations with known terrorists, or have previously been reported to the police following concerns, should they really be left to wander the streets and even the corridors of the Old Bailey?
