Andrew Leak, 66, of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, is thought to have killed himself last Sunday after hurling two or three “crude” incendiary bombs at the Western Jet Foil plant in Kent.
Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE), which has been working with Kent Police since the event was first reported, has collected evidence indicating that the attack was motivated by a terrorist ideology.
Several crude incendiary devices were thrown outside the premises by a man who arrived alone in a car during the attack.
Several key witnesses have been interviewed during the inquiry, and several objects of interest, including digital media devices, have been recovered. Examining these materials reveals that the attack was motivated by an extreme right-wing ideology.
There is currently no evidence that the perpetrator was cooperating with anyone else, and there is no wider harm to the public.
The investigation is still underway, and work is being done on behalf of His Majesty’s Coroner.
“This was certainly a very worrying occurrence,” said Tim Jacques, Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing. “Although nobody was critically harmed, two people did get minor injuries.”
Individuals with mental health issues and a malicious mindset are becoming more common in counter-terrorism cases across all ideologies.
“Determining when this crosses the terrorist threshold is a complex procedure that must be carefully addressed case by case.” These judgments must be based on the facts, to the extent that they can be established at any particular time.
“After reviewing the evidence in this case thus far, I am satisfied that, while there are clear indicators that mental health was likely a part, the suspect’s conduct were largely motivated by extreme ideology.” This matches the definition of a terrorist incident.”
