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A Brazilian man, Julian Valente Pereira, has been found guilty of staging a bomb hoax after placing a fake device outside the MI5 headquarters in London. The incident occurred on January 1, the day following the rejection of his final asylum appeal. Pereira, aged 32, was protesting against the dismissal of his claim for asylum when he left what appeared to be a stick of dynamite propped against the glass doors of Thames House in Millbank.
During the trial at City of London Magistrates’ Court, Pereira denied that he intended to cause alarm by placing the imitation explosive. However, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring determined that Pereira deliberately wanted observers to believe the object was genuine. CCTV footage presented in court showed Pereira passing immigration paperwork through the entrance doors before taking the fake device from his bag. He initially threw the brown cylindrical object onto the pavement, allowing a CCTV operator to zoom in on a fuse-like feature sticking out from its top. The mock device was then positioned upright against the MI5 building with a green lighter placed close by. Subsequent examination revealed it was made from rolled-up paper, masking tape, and string.
Prosecutor Shannon Revel outlined that Pereira’s actions were driven by his desire to generate “maximum attention” for his grievances against the Home Office, following a protracted and unsuccessful asylum process. Pereira arrived in the UK in July 2018 with a right to work but had been residing illegally since February 2019. “The attention he desperately wanted on 1 January is only achieved by the fact that someone believed that object could explode,” the prosecutor emphasized. According to court evidence, Pereira also visited Buckingham Palace where he threw a bag containing a copy of his immigration ruling and a knife-pierced ID card inside the palace perimeter.
While giving his testimony, Pereira insisted that the device he left outside MI5 was never intended to be mistaken as a real bomb. He stated, “The news inside was dynamite.” Furthermore, a note on his phone from August 2025 mentioned his concern about “MI5 terrorising people inside hotels,” and his wish to “see the King.” Pereira claimed to have schizophrenia and admitted to hearing voices, revealing this during his police interview after being arrested at an asylum hotel in Uxbridge. The court also learned that after surrendering as an overstayer in 2020, he later applied for asylum but had his claim rejected in 2023, with the appeal dismissed on December 31, 2025. He was remanded in custody and awaits sentencing scheduled for April 1, while reports on his mental health and risk of reoffending have been requested by the judge, who indicated the case could be escalated to the crown court
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