Terror watchdog says 'there is a link' between undocumented migrants and terror threats to Britain
The UK's Terror watchdog Jonathan Hall has said there is a 'link' between migrants arriving in small boat migrants and terror threats to Britain.
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Mr Hall was taking calls to mark the anniversary of the 7/7 bombings on Tom Swarbrick's LBC show on Monday.
One caller asked whether undocumented migrants coming to the UK on small boats are threat to country.
He replied: "The obvious answer is, yes, of course they can be, because anyone can be.
"And you've obviously got people in the UK... who haven't come on small boats and committed offences.
"There is a link, because the countries from which the large numbers of migrants tend to come tend to be war zones or places that are very unstable."
He added that those are the sorts of places where terrorist groups operate with "gay abandon".
Mr Hall used the example of the Salman Abedi, one of the men responsible for the Manchester Arena bombing.
While Abedi was not a small boat migrant, Mr Hall points out that" he had a genuine connection with the Libyan Islamic fighting group through his father."
Hashem Abedi, Salman Abedi's brother, is currently serving a 55-year sentence for assisting his brother to carry out the suicide attack that killed 22 people at the Ariana Grande concert in May 2017.
It came more than a decade after one of the most devastating terror attacks in British memory.
On July 7 2005, four suicide bombers struck the capital's transport network, killing 52 people and injuring more than 770 on three London Underground trains and a bus.
In a message to mark the 20th anniversary of the attacks, King Charles said comfort can be taken from the "spirit of unity" in London and the country more broadly, which has allowed the nation to heal.
The King has asked for the country to reaffirm its commitment to building a society of all faiths and backgrounds, standing against those who seek to divide us.
He said: "Today, as we mark 20 years since the tragic events of 7th July 2005, my heartfelt thoughts and special prayers remain with all those whose lives were forever changed on that terrible summer's day.
"We remember with profound sadness the 52 innocent people who were killed in senseless acts of evil - and the enduring grief of their loved ones.
"We recall, too, the hundreds more who carry physical and psychological scars, and pray that their suffering may ease as the years pass."In doing so, we should also remember the countless stories of extraordinary courage and compassion that emerged from the darkness of that day.
"The selfless bravery of our emergency services, transport workers, and fellow citizens who rushed towards danger to help strangers reminds us of the very best of humanity in the face of the very worst."