British Security Project members pictured near the UK Ijtima
Twelve people were arrested this week after Counter Terrorism Policing London uncovered what it says was an extreme right-wing plot targeting the UK Ijtima, the four-day Tablighi Jamaat gathering that drew an estimated 15,000 Muslims to Shrubland Hall, near Ipswich.
The event was cut short on police advice on Sunday; three men aged 55, 60 and 82 were arrested in Surrey on suspicion of conspiracy to murder, the 82-year-old since bailed.
A 48-year-old woman arrested in east London on suspicion of assisting an offender has also been bailed. Eight further men remain held under section 41 of the Terrorism Act.
British Security Project posted these pictures of a drone being launched at the Ijtima
Commander Helen Flanagan of CTP London said officers had “moved extremely quickly” once aware of the threat; Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the response had “undoubtedly saved lives.”
Since the arrests, the online accounts of the far-right, but minuscule, British Security Project, have claimed that those arrested were BSP members and that all they were doing was flying a drone over the event to see what was going on.
Military style
Video has been posted of men in camouflage and military-style gear standing in a field near the site, apparently operating drones, alongside separate aerial footage said to have been shot over the Ijtima itself.
The footage was posted by BSP member Tom Manning who also claims to be a Restore activist and who has posted a photo of himself with Restore’s national security spokesman Henry Boulton.
Tom Manning (left) with Henry Boulton and Jay Martin
BSP’s founder is Jay Martin, who first surfaced at May’s Dover anti-migrant demonstration, where he informed attending police officers that they were committing an offence under the Treason Felony Act 1848 by failing to prevent what he characterised as an invasion of foreigners.
He is not a lawyer.
Jay Martin (in hat) berates police during Dover anti-migrant demo in Dover in May
British Security Project’s own website is a grab-bag of self-published blog posts about SIA licensing and “security career pathways,” padded out with grandiose ambitions to place tens of thousands of “British Security Project staff” on trains and in schools nationwide.
A project on this scale only exists so far in Martin’s copy, and his imagination.
Shane Wiskin – familiarity with events
Police have not publicly named individual suspects arrested, nor on what suspicion each is being held.
Heavily publicising the BSP line online is Shayne Wiskin, the east London Restore Britain supporter familiar to Searchlight readers as the balcony fitter turned self-styled “Renaissance man” of the far-right fringe.
His talents range from House DJ, self-published author, and proprietor of the AI-generated “virtual film studio” MoonOwl Studios.
Wiskin’s posts suggest a close familiarity with what was happening at the Ijtima.
He has announced online that “Twelve of our guys have been arrested under the Counter terrorism Act” and added that he doesn’t understand why he hasn’t been arrested himself.
“Perhaps they’re building a case against me”.
Restore connection
Wiskin stood as an Independent for Newham Council in the May local elections, though making clear his Restore Britain connection.
As Restore had not, at that stage, registered as a political party, he could not run as an official candidate. He finished bottom of the poll with 1.7% of the vote.
The police have said searches are continuing at addresses linked to those in custody, and that the investigation remains ongoing.