The director of the Prevent counter-terrorism program, Michael Stewart, has resigned from his position following a critical review in February. The review revealed that the program had prematurely closed its case on Axel Rudakubana, who later went on to carry out a deadly knife attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, northwest England, killing three children.
Rudakubana had been referred to Prevent three times between 2019 and 2021 due to his interest in terrorist attacks and school shootings, but authorities found no evidence of a specific ideology or motivation. The Home Office declined to comment on the matter when contacted by the BBC.
Last year in July, Rudakubana stabbed 11 children and two adults, resulting in the tragic deaths of nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe, and six-year-old Bebe King. He was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years in prison in January after pleading guilty to the murders, attempted murders, production of ricin, possession of an al-Qaeda training manual, and possession of a knife.
Reports of Stewart’s departure were first disclosed by The Times on Friday. He had served as Prevent’s director for over four years. An urgent review of the Prevent program, published recently, revealed that officers had sufficient information to escalate Rudakubana’s case for enhanced monitoring but failed to do so. The review also criticized the emphasis on Rudakubana’s ideology and highlighted the need to consider other factors such as susceptibility, grievances, and complex needs of potential perpetrators
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