Police probe footage of man stabbing migrant dinghy in English Channel
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary are investigating a video showing a man repeatedly stabbing an inflatable dinghy during a Channel crossing on 22 September.
Knife attack on migrant dinghy in Channel caught on livestream
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary have confirmed they are investigating footage that appears to show a man stabbing an inflatable dinghy carrying migrants in the English Channel, The Argus reports. Officers are conducting enquiries into "damage being caused to a boat in the English Channel on the afternoon of 22 September."
The footage was livestreamed by Daniel Thomas, who goes by the name Danny Tommo online. In the video, Thomas is seen approaching the dinghy during a small boat crossing incident and instructs a companion to keep the camera trained on him. The dinghy initially drifts out of reach before being secured by another vessel, at which point Thomas's boat closes in.
Thomas then appears to stab the inflatable repeatedly with a knife while shouting at people on a nearby vessel: "This is England, this is English territory, it's not France anymore." He subsequently tells someone on the dinghy they "have time to get off" before speeding away, and can be heard shouting: "Now try and take that back to France, you traitors. Traitors."
During the same livestream, Thomas wrongly claimed the vessels carrying asylum seekers would dock at Gosport. The Home Office confirmed on Wednesday they had been brought ashore at Dover.
Earlier that day, lifeboats from Hastings and Eastbourne were tasked by HM Coastguard to respond to a small boat incident in the Channel.
Protests and arrests in Gosport and Portsmouth
In a statement issued Tuesday evening, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said police and partner agencies — including the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Border Security Command — worked closely together in response to reports of the crossing.
Members of the public who had been following developments gathered in Gosport and Portsmouth to protest. Officers were deployed to both locations to facilitate peaceful protest, maintain public safety, and support partner agencies in the event of a maritime emergency.
When news emerged that the vessel would dock elsewhere, police encountered a group who remained in Gosport, some of whom became hostile. Six people were arrested for offences including careless driving, assaulting an emergency worker, and aggravated trespass. All remained in custody at the time of the statement.
On Wednesday, police confirmed the identities of those arrested. Two men from Salisbury — aged 19 and 36 — were detained on suspicion of aggravated trespass. A 67-year-old man from Gosport was arrested on suspicion of careless driving and assaulting an emergency worker. Three further individuals from Gosport — two women aged 32 and 31, and a 33-year-old man — were arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker.
Enquiries into all incidents are ongoing.
Source: The Argus