Rioters issued clear warning from Britain's top prosecutor: 'Be in no doubt, we will consider terrorism charges'
The top prosecutor in Britain has warned that rioters face being charged with terror offences.
Director of public prosecutions Stephen Parkinson said his team would use every legal power to jail those behind the disorder, and that terror legislation was already being used in one case.
Around 400 people have since been arrested in the riots that spread across the country and around 100 individuals have been charged.
Speaking on Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer promised communities “will be safe” after a Cobra meeting and said those taking part in the unrest will “feel the full force of the law”.
Rioters have been warned about terror charges
PA/Getty
Parkinson told the BBC: "There are sentencing guidelines which indicate that many people who have been caught up in this disorder will face immediate imprisonment. There should be no doubt about that. They are going to prison.
"We are willing to look at terrorism offences. I’m aware of at least one instance where that is happening. Where you have organised groups planning activity for the purposes of advancing an ideology... planning really, really serious disruption – then yes, we will consider terrorism offences."
It comes as inquests are to be opened into the deaths of three girls who were fatally stabbed in Southport.
Bebe King, six, Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, died after a mass stabbing at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class at the Hart Space on Monday July 29.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, were all killed in the attackFamily handoutsThe Government’s independent reviewer of terror legislation Jonathan Hall KC warned politicians not to rush into declaring the riots as terrorism.
He said caution must be exercised when invoking terrorism powers to a "live incident" as you may "end up with finger-pointing at one group."
He said: "I think that you need to be cautious about applying counter-terrorism in effectively a live incident. It could be escalatory, you’ll end up with finger-pointing. One group will start saying: 'Well if you’re calling these people terrorists, why don’t you call it these people terrorists?'"
It comes as an asylum seeker support centre, Asylum Link Merseyside, said it had closed its offices temporarily following "threats of far-right violence" made against it. Stand Up To Racism has advertised counter-demonstrations "to defend immigration lawyers, refugee charities and asylum support centres around Britain."
More than 400 people have been arrested following rioting across England and Northern IrelandGettyOn Tuesday, police confirmed that intelligence sources had identified at least 30 hotspots where trouble could flare on Wednesday, including London.
In a statement, Scotland Yard Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Valentine described the disorder as "one of the worst spates of violent disorder in the last decade."
He said: "This is a national critical incident, and we will do everything in our power to protect London and its communities. We will not tolerate this on our streets. We will use every power, tactic and tool available to prevent further scenes of disorder."