DOVER, England, Oct 30 (Reuters) – A man threw petrol bombs with fireworks at a migrant processing center in the southern English port of Dover on Sunday and then killed himself, a photographer said Reuters.
The attacker, a white man wearing a checkered shirt, drove into the center in a white SEAT sport utility vehicle at around 11.20 GMT. He got out and threw three gasoline bombs, one of which failed to explode, the photographer said.
He then drove to a nearby gas station, tied a makeshift noose around his neck, attached it to a metal pole and drove off, killing himself, the photographer said.
“Officers established that two or three incendiary devices had been thrown at a Home Office immigration premises,” Kent Police said in a statement.
[1/6] A man throws an object out of a car window next to the Border Force center after a fire bomb attack in Dover, Britain October 30, 2022. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls
“A minor injury was reported. The suspect has been identified and located. Investigations into the incident remain ongoing.”
Video posted on social media by a GB News reporter showed staff putting out a small fire on the outside wall of the centre.
The attack comes amid a highly charged political debate over immigration in the UK.
The number of people attempting the dangerous Channel crossing to enter Britain has risen sharply. The government faces criticism from some quarters that border controls are too lax, while charities and human rights groups say asylum seekers are being treated inhumanely.
The Times reported on Saturday that decisions made by Home Secretary Suella Braverman led directly to overcrowding and outbreaks of scabies and diphtheria at a different migrant processing center in Kent, citing multiple government sources .
Written by Andy Bruce, additional reporting by William Schomberg Editing by Frances Kerry and Angus MacSwan
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