Home Office ‘knew Afghan murderer was terror threat’ year before he killed aspiring Marine

The Home Office had been aware an Afghan asylum seeker was a possible terror threat a year before he murdered a young man in a row over a rental e-scooter, an inquest heard.

Thomas Roberts, 21, an aspiring Royal Marine, was stabbed to death by Lawangeen Abdulrahimzai as he acted as a “peacemaker” in an argument between the killer and his friend in Bournemouth, Dorset, in March last year.

Abdulrahimzai, who arrived in the UK in December 2019, claimed he was 14 years old when he entered the country but the courts discovered he had been 18.

It also emerged that Abdulrahimzai was put in foster care on his arrival in the UK despite being a convicted criminal.

He was given a 20-year prison term for murdering two people with a Kalashnikov assault rifle in Serbia.

Abdulrahimzai was sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court in January to life imprisonment to serve a minimum of 29 years, with immigration minister Robert Jenrick saying he was likely to be deported at the end of his sentence.

A pre-inquest review into the death of Mr Roberts heard the Home Office’s Prevent anti-terrorism programme had been aware of Abdulrahimzai.

Adam Farrer, representing the Home Office, told the hearing: “We were given instruction that there is to be a further review by the Prevent homeland security department within the Home Office.

“As we understand it, in 2021 Mr Abdulrahimzai was referred to Prevent due to concerns that he was susceptible to terrorism.”

He added that the review had been launched into this development.

Mr Farrer said a review of the Home Office’s role in processing Abdulrahimzai’s immigration status had been completed but this would be restricted as it could reveal procedures used when processing applicants.

He told the hearing: “The review is an internal report commissioned by the Home Office’s professional standards unit to review the actions taken by the Home Office in relation to Mr Abdulrahimzai and it was commissioned on the basis it would not be published, it is a private, internal report.

“The report contains day-to-day policies which are public but also operating processes, detailed background security processing which are highly sensitive which could be used by those who wish to abuse the asylum process if they were aware of how the Home Office deals with criminal checks.

“For example, it is well known that if you are a minor or a child there are different rules than if you are an adult as we saw in this particular sad case, Mr Abdulrahimzai claimed to be a minor when he was first encountered by Home Office employed staff.”

Coroner Rachael Griffin criticised the Home Office after the father of Mr Roberts, Philip Roberts, revealed to the hearing that he had not received any contact regarding the reviews into his son’s killer as well as for failings in disclosing information to her office.

She said: “I am astounded that Tommy’s family have not been told about the review and I am sure you will feed that back and I would urge them to get in contact as soon as possible.

“It’s totally unacceptable what has happened over the past six or seven months as we have chased our tails to find out what has happened.”

Ms Griffin also asked Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council to provide details of its age assessment checks carried out on Abdulrahimzai as well as for Dorset Police to provide their files on the case and details of any internal review carried out.

Mr Roberts also asked the coroner to check with police about reports that police were aware that Abdulrahimzai had been carrying a knife in the days before his son’s death.

The inquest was adjourned for a further hearing on January 9 2024.