Police Were Right Not To Classify Southport Killer As Terrorist - Watchdog

The decision not to classify Axel Rudakubana as a terrorist after the Southport murders was right because it would be unhelpful to stretch the definition of terrorism to cover all extreme violence, the UK's terror watchdog has concluded.

- Rachel Hall

Jonathan Hall KC said the "legal definition of terrorism is already wide and should not be changed any further". Expanding the definition would "increase the possibility of inaccurate use and, in theory, abuse", he added in his review of how extreme violence is legally classified.

Hall concluded that while "male loners, accessing violent material online, desperate for notoriety" present a real threat, terrorism must refer only to violence committed "to advance a political, religious, racial or ideological cause", rather than serving as a label for the most serious offending.

Hall said that extending the definition of terrorism would have "unintended consequences" such as hampering freedom of expression - for example criminalising those swapping war footage - and placing pressure on resources.