Dover firebomb attack

On 30 October 2022, a petrol bomb attack was perpetrated against a Border Force centre for processing migrants in Dover, Kent, England. Two people suffered minor injuries.

Dover firebomb attack
Location	Dover, Kent, England
Coordinates	51.11540°N 1.31198°E / 51.11540; 1.31198
Date	30 October 2022 11:20 (GMT)
Attack type	Arson
Weapons	Petrol bomb
Deaths	1 (the perpetrator)
Injured	2
Motive	Far-right extremism

After the attack, the suspect, a 66-year-old man from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, drove to a nearby petrol station where he killed himself.

Attack

Around 11:20 GMT on 30 October 2022, a man drove a white Seat Tarraco to the Border Force centre in Dover, Kent, and threw two or three petrol bombs at the complex.^[1] One of the bombs failed to ignite.^[2][3] A witness stated that the attacker then drove to a petrol station and tied a noose around his neck and attached it to a metal pole before driving off, killing himself.^[2][3]

Investigation

Kent Police said that two or three devices had been thrown into a Home Office establishment and that investigations were ongoing.^[2] They were unable to confirm that the attacker had killed himself.^[4]

An army bomb disposal unit was sent to the site of the attack and to the petrol station on Limekiln Road to examine a suspect vehicle,^[3] where another device was found and later made safe by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit.^[5]

Police said it was likely a hate attack, driven by a right-wing ideology, and was being investigated by counter-terrorism police.^[6][7]

Suspect

The suspect was Andrew Leak, a 66-year-old man from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire.^[8][9] A property in High Wycombe was searched by Thames Valley Police the day after the attack.^[9]

Leak had posted rants on Facebook against Muslims, asylum seekers, China, and COVID-19.^[10][8] Counter-terrorism teams were brought in^[when?] to investigate him.^[10]

On 5 November 2022 Counter Terrorism Police South East announced that it had evidence the attack was "motivated by a terrorist ideology" and that the perpetrator had "extreme right-wing motivation".^[11]

Motive

Counter Terrorism Policing senior national coordinator Tim Jaques said that while there were "strong indications that mental health was likely a factor" he concluded that the "suspect’s actions were primarily driven by an extremist ideology" and these met the "threshold for a terrorist incident".^[11]

The suspect was unknown to counter terrorist police and there were no indications he had worked with anyone else.^[11]