Southport suspect Axel Rudakubana's terror charge 'delayed for two weeks over riot fears'

Southport suspect Axel Rudakubana's terror charge was allegedly delayed for two weeks over fears of further rioting.

Claims of "policing issues" over the high profile case were reportedly flagged by ministers following the high profile Chris Kaba murder case. Police officers across the country threatened to put down their weapons if Metropolitan Police marksman Martyn Blake was found guilty of murder. Kaba, a 24-year-old black man, was shot and killed by the officer - who was found not guilty.

Kaba's death, which occurred in Streatham, London in September 2022, led ministers and other officials to fear the two high-profile cases would cause issues with police forces across the country.

It was on last Tuesday (October 29) that Merseyside police announced 18-year-old Rudakubana had been charged with possessing terrorist material and producing the potentially highly toxic poison ricin. New charges against Rudakubana come more than two months after the teenager had been charged with three counts of murder and 10 of attempted murder after a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class.

The atrocity set off violent disorder fuelled by the far-right across the country, which led to more than 1,000 arrests. The Sunday Times claims the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) first sought permission from the attorney general’s office to charge Rudakubana with possession of a biological weapon on October 15, 14 days before the charge was eventually announced.

According to the outlet, the CPS needed two government law officers, the attorney-general and solicitor-general, to consent on the biological weapons offence but not the separate terrorism charge. CPS were allegedly preparing to make the announcement of charges on October 18 and reportedly 1,000 riot police were put on standby in case of more violent demonstrations.

The attorney-general's office ultimately did not grant consent until a week later, on October 22. It took a further seven days for CPS to announce the charges on October 29. The Home Office, CPS and attorney-general’s office have all refused to comment on the delay but sources allegedly told the newspaper it was linked to fears of public disorder.

Blake was found not guilty of murdering Kaba on Monday October 21 sparking severe criticism from black community leaders and some protests. Reporting restrictions on the Kaba trial were lifted the following day which allowed the publication of the 24-year-old's criminal background. It was revealed Kaba had been a core member of 67, a crime gang based in Brixton Hill, south London.

If he had lived, he would have faced trial over the shooting of a rival gangster shot in front of revellers at an east London nightclub six days before he died. It is claimed that it took CPS seven days still to announce the charges against Rudakubana.