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Neo-Nazi who plotted terrorist attack at immigration law firm detained indefinitely in hospital

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December 12, 2024
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Cavan Medlock armed himself with a knife and went to the offices of a solicitor in Harrow

A self-confessed neo-Nazi who armed himself with a knife in a plot to stab a solicitor as a “rallying cry” for fellow far right extremists will be detained in hospital indefinitely.

Cavan Medlock, 32, brought a six-inch hunting knife, handcuffs, and gaffer tape to the offices of Duncan Lewis solicitors in Harrow, northwest London on September 7, 2020.

His target was Toufique Hossain, the firm’s Director of Public Law, who had recently been identified as a lawyer representing asylum seekers who arrived in the UK on small boats.

Medlock confessed he had planned to “capture” Mr Hossain and put the flags of US Confederates and Hitler’s Nazis on display “to encourage other nationalists to rally to his cause”

In dramatic footage from inside the law offices, Medlock, brandishing the knife, demanded to see Mr Hossain before being heroically tackled by the firm’s receptionist.

Medlock was disarmed during a prolonged struggle, in which he threw punches and aimed kicks at the staffer who had grabbed hold of him.

He was then detained by a lawyer who rushed into the lobby to help.

He admitted he had come to the offices to kill Mr Hossain, and was heard saying “unfortunately I didn’t finish the job”.

Scotland Yard said Medlock had read a news report featuring words from Mr Hossain prior to launching the attack. The incident also followed controversial rhetoric from then-Home Secretary Priti Patel, in which she attacked “activist” lawyers and blamed them for issues on immigration.

At Kingston crown court on Thursday, Mr Justice Bennathan ordered that Medlock is held indefinitely in hospital to receive treatment for mental health disorders.

The court heard he has been diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder and mixed personality disorder, and has also displayed symptoms of depression.

The judge said Medlock was responsible for a “direct and disgraceful attack on decent and hard-working people doing important and honourable work”.

He found Medlock has “deep-seated racist views about any group of people he regards as not ‘pure’, white and British”.

“He is prepared to use armed violence in pursuit of those views”, added the judge, and while he could not be sure Medlock intended to kill Mr Hossain he concluded he was prepared to use violence “if needs be”.

Scotland Yard said Medlock described himself as a “Nazi” and had a copy of Hitler’s Mein Kampf manifesto at his home in Harrow, northwest London.

The force said Medlock “wanted to provide a ‘rallying cry’ to inspire other extreme right-wing terrorists”.

In his rucksack when he was arrested was a knife, two sets of handcuffs, two rolls of gaffer tape, a Nazi flag, and a US Confederate flag.

Two days before the attack, Mr Hossain was named in the press as a lawyer who was representing asylum seekers who had been due for deportation, but their flight was cancelled due to fresh human rights legal challenges.

Mrs Patel’s anti-lawyer rhetoric, which was echoed by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, was condemned at the time for endangering those working in the profession.

Medlock hurled racist abuse during the incident, at anyone he believed to be of Pakistani heritage, Jewish, or Eastern European.

He had faced a full criminal trial earlier this year, but the case was abandoned when Medlock attacked a black health worker who was sitting with him in the dock.

“It may have been coincidental that the nurse he attacked was black”, said the judge. “It may not.”

The judge then concluded that Medlock was mentally unfit to enter pleas to the charges.

He faced a trial to determine the facts, and a jury concluded he committed the act of making a threat to kill and the preparation of terrorist acts.

“Our investigation uncovered how Medlock had planned this attack and wanted to intimidate the public, particularly anyone who might be regarded as immigrants”, said Acting Commander Helen Flanagan, from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.

“He was prevented in carrying out his plan thanks to the extraordinarily brave actions of a receptionist, who managed to disarm him of a large knife.

“By his own admission, at the time of these events, Medlock identified as a Nazi. Our investigation supported this, with officers finding a copy of Mein Kampf at his home address.

“It is clear from what he said in police interviews, Medlock wanted to provide a ‘rallying cry’ to inspire other extreme right-wing terrorists.”

Medlock watched his sentencing hearing over a videolink from a medical facility, with a health care worker sitting alongside him.

He pleaded guilty in 2021 to four other offences related to the same incident: possession of the knife, battery, and two counts of racially aggravated causing harassment, alarm, or distress.

Evening Standard

Jury finds man planned terrorist attack at law firm ‘to intimidate immigrants’

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December 10, 2024
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Cavan Medlock was found to have committed the act of making a threat to kill and the preparation of terrorist acts after a fact-finding hearing.

A man planned a terrorist attack at a law firm in north London to “intimidate” immigrants, the Metropolitan Police said.

Cavan Medlock, of Harrow, north-west London, was found to have committed the act of making a threat to kill and the preparation of terrorist acts at a fact-finding hearing at Kingston Crown Court on Tuesday.

The 32-year-old, who identified as a Nazi, “wanted to provide a ‘rallying cry’ to inspire other extreme right-wing terrorists”, the force said.

Medlock targeted solicitor Toufique Hossain at the Duncan Lewis law firm in Harrow on September 7 2020, and was arrested at the scene with a rucksack containing a knife, handcuffs, gaffer tape and two large flags “demonstrating extreme right-wing terrorist ideology”, Acting Commander Helen Flanagan, from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said.

Medlock was arrested after he took out a six-inch combat knife and demanded to see Mr Hossain.

The receptionist managed to disarm him, despite being punched and kicked.

Other members of staff also intervened and Medlock was restrained and police were called to the scene.

While he was detained in reception, Medlock saw Mr Hossain and said he had come to the office to kill him, the Met Police said.

Medlock was heard saying “unfortunately I didn’t finish the job”, the force added.

A search of Medlock’s home revealed a mobile phone on which showed Medlock had targeted the solicitor after reading an article in which he was quoted, the force said.

He had then researched the location of the law firm, before planning his attack.

Ms Flanagan said: “Our investigation uncovered how Medlock had planned this attack and wanted to intimidate the public, particularly anyone who might be regarded as immigrants.

“He was prevented in carrying out his plan thanks to the extraordinarily brave actions of a receptionist, who managed to disarm him of a large knife.

“By his own admission, at the time of these events, Medlock identified as a Nazi. Our investigation supported this, with officers finding a copy of Mein Kampf at his home address.

“It is clear from what he said in police interviews, Medlock wanted to provide a ‘rallying cry’ to inspire other extreme right-wing terrorists.

“I’m glad that a jury has now found the facts of this case proven.”

Medlock will be sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on Thursday.

Evening Standard

Britain First supporter gave Nazi salute and drove car at curry house owner on anniversary of Brexit vote

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January 12, 2018
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A Britain First supporter who gave a Nazi salute, shouted “white power” and drove at a curry house owner during a drunken rampage has been jailed.

Marek Zakrocki told a police officer he was going to “kill a Muslim” before launching his London attack on the anniversary of the Brexit vote.

While the 48-year-old was sentenced to 33 weeks in prison for his attack, he is likely to walk later on Friday, having served his time on remand.

Zakrocki, who was originally charged with attempted murder, had previously pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and battering his wife.

The white van driver also admitted drink-driving as he appeared via video link from Wormwood Scrubs for sentencing at the Old Bailey where he was jailed for 33 weeks for the attack outside Spicy Night in Alexandra Parade, Harrow, north-west London.

Judge Anthony Leonard QC said: “You committed these offences at a time of heightened tension because of the attack on a Muslim outside a Mosque in London.”

The judge said there was evidence of “abhorrent” racist views but his crime was due to the effect of alcohol.

He added: “In your drunken state what you said and the way you behaved would have been both offensive and put persons in fear.”

As well as his prison sentence, Zakrocki has been disqualified from driving for three years.

ITV News

Britain First supporter drove van at curry house owner, court hears

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December 4, 2017
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Marek Zakrocki gave Nazi salute and shouted ‘white power’ before attack outside Harrow restaurant, Old Bailey hears

A Britain First supporter gave a Nazi salute and shouted “white power” before driving at a curry house owner during a drunken rampage, a court has heard.

Marek Zakrocki, 48, vented his anti-Muslim rage before the attack outside the Spicy Night restaurant in Alexandra Parade in Harrow, north-west London, on the anniversary of the Brexit vote on 23 June.

He was heard to say: “I’m going to kill a Muslim. I’m doing it for Britain. This is how I’m going to help the country. You people cannot do anything.”

The Old Bailey heard that the Polish-born window fitter then used his white van as a weapon against Kamal Ahmed and mounted the pavement twice. He was driving at 5mph and was in effect trying to pin Ahmed against the front of the restaurant window, which smashed.

Following his arrest by armed officers, police found a Nazi coin in Zakrocki’s pocket and a number of Britain First flyers and newspapers at his home in Harrow.

At the Old Bailey on Monday, Zakrocki pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and beating his wife. Further charges of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and having a knife in Northolt Road, Harrow, were ordered to lie on file.

The prosecutor Denis Barry said: “Mr Zakrocki had plainly, during the course of that afternoon, had far too much to drink. During the course of that evening he assaulted his wife, drove off in his work vehicle, insulted a series of passersby and then drove his vehicle at the owner of a curry house, breaking the window of the curry house.

“It’s plain that his conduct is very likely to have been motivated by his views about our diverse society.”

Barry said Zakrocki had been “fixated” by Muslims and had made donations to Britain First in the past.

Because of the increased state of alert at the time of the incident, armed police arrested Zakrocki in a “hard stop”.

Barry said the defendant appeared to have a history of depressive illness and alcohol problems.

Earlier on June 23, he had grabbed his wife Ewa Zakrocka’s arm and threatened to “kill people” and then kill himself.

The prosecutor said Zakrocki made a Nazi salute, pushed an unknown Asian man and shouted “white power, white power” before ending up outside Spicy Night restaurant blocking the road with his van.

Following an altercation in the street, the defendant started the engine and twice aimed the vehicle at Ahmed, the court heard.

Barry said: “Because of the time that all this took place, the police took what had happened particularly seriously and there was a hard stop by armed police officers.”
He told the court that Britain First, formed by members of the BNP, was anti-Muslim and held views that were regarded by most people as “very extreme indeed”.

Judge Anthony Leonard QC remanded the defendant into custody to be sentenced on January 12. He ordered a report but warned he was considering a jail sentence.

The Guardian