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JULY 2024 - RICHARD WALTON INTERVIEWED IN Combating Terrorism Centre at West Point article: volume 17, issue 6: 'A view from the CT foxhole: Author Paul cruickshank
In a lengthy interview, Richard Walton answers questions about the future threats facing the Paris Olympic Games in July, drawing upon the lessons learned from the London Olympic and Paralympic 2012. Explaining the threat matrix facing the summer of sport planned for 2024, Walton outlines current extremism and terrorism threats:
CTC: How do you see the threat matrix in the summer of 2024, as we go through these sporting championships in Germany and France? We have a war in Gaza, which is causing a lot of outrage in Muslim communities, and there’s worry that jihadi terror groups will be able to exploit that for recruitment, press people forward to launch attacks. And with the Israeli and American teams and sports fans traveling to Paris, there’s concern about threats from groups such as Hezbollah who have a track record of plotting and carrying out attacks in Europe and elsewhere. Walton: For me, the most serious threat facing the Games and the Euros is Islamic State Khorasan, which obviously has been in the ascendancy in the last couple of years. But more worryingly, it has recently been carrying out external terrorist operations in different countries with quite a high degree of success. They’ve plotted over 20 external attack operations in the past 15 months,8 and there has been ISK-connected plots in at least 10 countries. We already know that Islamic State Khorasan is trying to orchestrate an attack on the Paris Olympics. On May 22, French police arrested an 18-year-old Chechen in Saint-Étienne for plotting an attack against the Paris Olympics football tournament. He was reportedly in contact with ISK operatives and, in liaison with them, plotted an attack on the Saint-Étienne stadium, one of the venues for the tournament.10 There is also concern ISK could attack Euro 2024. On May 31, an Afghan national motivated by Islamist ideology killed a police officer in Mannheim.11 In early June, German authorities probed an application by a suspected ISK supporter to work as a security guard and steward for events outside the stadiums during Euro 2024.12 The suspect was arrested at Cologne/Bonn Airport on June 8 for allegedly transferring almost 1,700 U.S. dollars to an Islamic State Khorasan account via a cryptocurrency exchange in September 2023.13 Whilst the Taliban has had some success curtailing Islamic State Khorasan inside Afghanistan, the group seem to have switched to an external operations campaign, which is very alarming. And we’ve seen, in the past several years, connections with a threat to Europe specifically. For example, in 2020 there were some Tajik nationals arrested in Germany in contact with the group who were plotting to attack the U.S. military.14 In July 2023, the Germans arrested and subsequently charged seven individuals from Central Asia for allegedly plotting terrorist attacks on behalf of ISK in a plot connected to Holland.g In March 2024, the Germans arrested two Afghans plotting, in close consultation with ISK, to launch an attack in the area of the Swedish parliament.15In December last year, several Central Asians were arrested for a plot to attack Cologne cathedral on behalf of ISK.16 All this represents a serious concern and threat. We’ve seen this before with AQ, but ISIS in particular is demonstrating a clear intent to attack sporting events specifically. Threat is defined as capability and intent, and ISK have both. These plots, so far to date, have been disrupted, but the plots that were successful in Peshawar, Pakistan, in March 2022,17 and in Kerman, Iran18 and Moscow in March 202419 were highly complex attacks and delivered ruthlessly. This backdrop creates a very real concern ISK might have capability to carry out attacks in Europe against either the Euros or the Olympic Games. In my assessment, this is the biggest threat during this summer of sport, and it will be of great concern to the French and the Germans because of the effectiveness of Islamic State Khorasan’s overseas attacks, and particularly their recent attacks in Moscow, Pakistan, and Iran. So, I think overwhelmingly that’s the main concern, the main threat. After the Moscow attack in March 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that ISK had attempted several attacks on French soil in recent months.20 French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal also referred publicly to an ISK plot in Strasbourg in 2022 that had been thwarted.21 There was also a notable arrest in Coventry, U.K., in January 2023 of a PhD student who had built a drone for ISIS. He was convicted in September of that year.h It was a serious attempt to build a drone, and you wonder—if that had been successful—where that drone was destined for. Was it destined for Europe? Or was it destined to go back to ISIS? It is more likely that a drone built by an extremist in the U.K. was going to be used in an attack in the U.K. or Europe. I think 90 percent of the concern will be around Islamic State Khorasan and the challenges faced by authorities in disrupting what may be directed, enabled, or inspired attacks before, during, or after the Euros and the Olympic Games. France has a significant Jewish population. And both France and Germany have large Muslim populations with a proportion of violent extremists with strong links to Central Asia from where ISK is now operating. The group is using radicalized individuals from within the Central Asian diaspora in Europe to engage in plotting attacks. It’s vital to have a good intelligence picture around radicalized individuals who might have connections with Central Asia and particularly Tajikistan given how many Tajiks have been implicated in Islamic State Khorasan-linked plots. ISIS has a track record of attacking sport, including as part of the November 13, 2015, Paris attacks, an attempt to target the 80,000 football fans watching France against Germany at the Stade de France football stadium. It is also worth noting that ahead of the Rio Olympics in 2016, eight Islamist extremists were arrested and subsequently convicted for plotting to attack the Games with AK-47s. They were Brazilian extremists who had been radicalized by ISIS propaganda.22 So that’s an Olympic Games where most people thought there was no real threat at all, but even then, ISIS was engaged in inspiring others to carry out attacks. |
3rd March 2023
Former Commander Richard Walton interviewed on BBC News following publication of Part 3 of the Public Inquiry into the Manchester terrorist attack in May 2017.
Former Commander Richard Walton interviewed on BBC News following publication of Part 3 of the Public Inquiry into the Manchester terrorist attack in May 2017.
JULY 2021 - RICHARD WALTON INTERVIEWED IN NEW PODCAST SERIES 'COMBATING JIHADIST TERROR'In the final episode in Series 1 of Combating Jihadist Terror, Dr Anthony Richards speaks to Richard Walton on the UK’s counter terrorism Prevent programme and the independent Commission for Countering Extremism.
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1st June 2021
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16TH JULY 2020
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17TH APRIL 2020
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Subsequent articles have been released commenting on the report. Find those articles below.
23RD MARCH 2020
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Subsequent articles have been released commenting on the report. Find those articles below.
4TH FEBRUARY 2020
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This morning, Richard Walton spoke to BBC Radio 4 Today programme about the Streathan terrorist attack and the emergency legislation announced in the House of Commons yesterday by the Secretary of State for Justice Robert Buckland. Walton called for the government to now consider ‘post sentence detention orders’ to detain the most high threat terrorists in prison if they pose a serious threat to public safety. |
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Richard Walton discusses early prison release of terrorist offenders and the complex operations that are run to stop terrorist attacks in this podcast ‘Beyond Today’.
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12TH JANUARY 2020
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2nd December 2019
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29TH NOVEMBER 2019
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9TH SEPTEMBER 2019
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13TH AUGUST 2019
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16th july 2019
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15TH JUNE 2019
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20TH MAY 2019
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16th may 2019
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3RD MAY 2019
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29TH APRIL 2019
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17TH MARCH 2019
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25th February 2019
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15th february 2019
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24th december 2018
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12 December 2018
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NOVEMBER 2018
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29-31 OCTOBER 2018
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16 OCTOBER 2018 - BBC NEWSNIGHTIn an interview for BBC Newsnight, Richard Walton, Director of Counter Terrorism Global Ltd strongly endorsed Clause 1 of the government’s Counter Terrorism and Border Security Bill which strengths existing legislation relating to inviting others to support a proscribed terrorist organisation.
Referring to the case of Anjem Choudary, Richard stated that the law is currently insufficient to stop extremist clerics like Anjem Choudary from abusing the right to free speech.
The new Clause 1 of the Bill addresses current deficiencies, making it an offence to 'express support' for a proscribed organisation when the individual is ‘reckless’ as to whether it would encourage parties to the expression to support such an organisation’. Amendments have been tabled by some Members of Parliament who assert that the Clause risks curtailing the right to free speech (Article 10). By way of response, Richard stated that the right to free speech (Article 10) needs to be balanced against the Right to Life (Article 3) which is an absolute right in law. If Clause 1 is amended or diluted in any way, then an opportunity will have been missed to stop radicalisers from encouraging others to support and join proscribed terrorist organisations. |
12TH SEPTEMBER 2018 - CONFERENCE FOR PRACTITIONERS AND POLICY MAKERS
Richard Walton, Director of Counter Terrorism Global Ltd is a member of the editorial advisory board of CoJiT-UK. His paper, entitled 'An independent assessment of the UK's capacity and capabilities devoted to countering jihadist terrorism: government, policing, intelligence agencies and civil society' is available at:
www.cojit-uk.org/an-independent-assessment-of-the-uks-capacity-and-capabilities-devoted-to-countering-jihadist-terrorism-government-policing-intelligence-agencies-and-civil-society/. |
15TH AUGUST 2018 - PARLIAMENT ATTACK
Writing for the Daily Telegraph, Richard Walton supported calls for the pedestrianisation of the roads outside the Palace of Westminster:
'The Mayor of London has backed calls to make Parliament Square and the area around the Palace of Westminster a pedestrian zone. I would support such measures: there are parallels with the area immediately outside Buckingham Palace which is now a pedestrian area. It makes for safe zones and takes away the need for ugly vehicle borne mitigation measures'. |
25TH JULY 2018 - POLICY EXCHANGE PUBLICATION - AIDING THE ENEMY Richard Walton, Director of Counter Terrorism Global Ltd publicly endorsed the publication 'Aiding the Enemy' and commented:
'The fabric of our parliamentary democracy is under threat in a way not seen since the Second World War, with British nationals targeting and attacking our royal family, our armed forces, MPs and ordinary civilians. Existing terrorism legislation is adequate for most crimes, but, as this excellent paper makes clear, the law should be changed to allow for a charge of treason in cases like that of Anjem Choudary, and terrorist foreign fighters such as Imran Khawaja, and the 'Beatles' who have fought for ISIS. As the officer overseeing the investigation into the killing of Drummer Lee Rigby, I thought at the time that a charge of murder was not adequate for the crime; a charge of treason would have been more appropriate in my view.' |
7TH JUNE 2018 - NINE LIVES - MY TIME AS MI6'S TOP SPY Richard Walton, Director of Counter Terrorism Global Ltd publicly endorsed the publication Nine Lives and commented:
One of the most extraordinary, captivating and insightful accounts of involvement in the violent global jihad ever written. Aimen Dean has been through a remarkable journey and lived to tell the tale. This book shines a light on Islamist extremism in the UK and the charismatic extremist leaders who have been responsible for so much radicalisation within British Muslim communities over the past decades. It also provides an insight into the ideologies that are used to justify terrorist attacks across the world and carefully maps out the main texts and interpretations that al-Qaeda and ISIS have relied upon over the last twenty years. The most extraordinary revelations relate to his involvement in al-Qaeda's efforts to create CBRN [chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear] capabilities. The final chapter sets out a manifesto for countering warped extremist narratives and winning over moderate hearts and minds. Above all else, the bravery of Aimen Dean comes across throughout the book. For many years, he risked his life, time and time again, penetrated the leadership of al-Qaeda and saved many lives. Britain owes him a debt of gratitude. A seminal book.'
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JUNE 2018
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7-8th march 2018
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13th february 2018
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30th january 2018
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19TH SEPTEMBER 2017 -
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14TH SEPT 2107 - defence and security equipment international (DSEI)
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5th June 2017 - Richard Walton writes about the London Bridge terrorist attack that took place on Saturday 3rd June when three terrorists drove at people on London bridge before attacking members of the public with kitchen knives. In the article, he highlights the islamist extremist ideology that is driving terrorism across the world and posits that law enforcement solutions that have to be supported by policies and strategies to tackle the ideology. The article is entitled 'We cannot arrest our way our of terrorism - it's time to tackle the ideology'.
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30th May 2017 - A range of prominent voices have expressed concern that Brexit has made security cooperation harder and might have made Britain more vulnerable to terrorism. Are they right? In an article for the think tank Policy Exchange entitled 'The importance of Bilateral Collaboration in International Counter-Terrorism Investigations', Richard Walton argues that success in counter terrorist investigations with international dimensions is largely dependent on the extent to which a country's police and intelligence agencies have 'global reach' and strong state to state relationships. The article also responds to the questions surrounding the issue of security in the Brexit negotiations.
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24th May 2017 - Richard Walton writes about why 'Stopping radicalised Britons from travelling to Libya is not easy - nor always desirable'.
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23rd May 2017 - Richard walton writes a response to to Manchester terrorist attacks, discussing why 'After Manchester, terrorists will keep trying to attack Britain'.
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2nd May 2017 - Keynote speaker at the Terrorism Risk Conference in the city of London. RMS engaged in a 15 year retrospective of their probabilistic terrorism risk model. Speaking at the event, Richard Walton, Director of Counter Terrorism Global emphasised the changing nature of the terrorist threat, the emergence of new attack methodologies such as vehicle ramming and the need to tackle the use of social media for inspiring terrorist acts around the world. "Social media has been a turbo charge on the terrorist threat" he said during his speech. RMS have a range of publications relating to terrorism.
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23rd March 2017 - Richard walton writes on how 'Our brave police risk their lives to keep us safe, but they can't prevent every attack' in a response to the westminster terrorist attack.
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24th February 2017 - Key note speaker at the annual Hogan Lovells CBRE Hotel Conference 2017 - entitled 'Revolution or Evolution - Protect & Survive'. The hotel industry needs to be vigilant and ensure that in addition to physical security measures such as CCTV and protective bollards, time and money is invested in carrying out detailed risk assessments and importantly penetrative testing.
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24th November 2017 - Key note international speaker on 'The global threats from terrorism' to the International Congress Smart Metropolis held in Gdansk between 23rd-24th November 2016. The congress is a meeting place for the representatives of science, business, administration and non governmental organisations and is an international platform for the exchanging of ideas and experience relating to the functioning of metropolitan areas. The theme of the conference was "Openness and Safety'.
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13th October 2017 - Speaker at the 22nd Annual Conference and Exhibition of the Association of Security Consultants (ASC) entitled: 'The Challenge of Security in a Changing World' at the Marriott Hotel, London Heathrow. The conference attracts security professionals from across the corporate and public sector in the UK and overseas.
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20th - 21st September 2017 - Lecturing to the undergraduates at the Counter Terrorism Centre, US Military Academy, West Point, USA. The CTC was created in 2003 and produces the excellent monthly publication 'Sentinel' which contains academic articles on the terrorist threat. It straddles operational practice and academic theory and informs and influences many different parts of the American apparatus including the FBI, JSOC, USASOC, DIA, NCTC and State Department.
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18th - 19th November 2017 - International keynote speaker at the Annual Counter Terrorism Conference 'Eyes Only - Insights into the Legal War on Terrorism at The Yale Club, New York. The conference brought together leading experts in the fields of intelligence, counter-terrorism, law enforcement, cyber security and international finance to provide insights into legal aspects of defeating terrorism through the 'rule of law'.
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24th August 2016 -Writing in The Daily Telegraph: Richard Walton writes for the Daily Telegraph on how 'There is nothing to stop other radical Islamic preachers taking over Anjem Choudhary's work'.
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22nd July 2016 - Speaker at the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR) at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore on the 'History of countering terrorism in the UK'.
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19th July 2016 - International keynote speaker at the Australian National Security Summit, Canberra.
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June 2016 - CTC Sentinel - Richard Walton argues in the cover story that the threat to Euro 2016, which concludes on July 10, is more acute than for any other international sporting event in history because of the unprecedented threat to France from the Islamic State and its followers. He outlines lessons learned from the London 2012 Olympic Games that may be of value in protecting Euro 2016 and the upcoming Rio Olympics.
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4th -6th April 2016 - World Philanthropic Conference in Redwood City, California. Speaking at a working group entitled 'Countering Recruitment Strategies - Detecting Warning Signs and Offering Positive Alternatives'
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22nd March 2016 - Richard Walton speaking on CBS News on the Brussels attacks. |
15th March 2016 - Richard Walton speaking to the Programme on Terrorism and Security Studies (PTSS) course at the George Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmish Partinkirchen, Germany. Participants from 45 countries around the world.
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26th February 2016 - Richard Walton writing in the Daily Telegraph on how 'Being in the EU doesn't keep us safe from terrorists'.
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January 2016 - Interviewed in CTC Sentinel | Volume 9, Issue 1 for the Combating Terrorism Centre at West Point, New York. 'A View from the CT Foxhole: An Interview with Richard Walton, Head, Counter Terrorism Command, London Metropolitan Police'.
The United States Military Academy was established at West Point in 1802 and has the longest continuous service of any United States military installation and is the nation's oldest service academy. |
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October 2015 - Keynote speaker at Fleming Gulf’s 4th Edition of the Middle East Homeland Security Summit, hosted by The General Directorate Of Gendarmerie, Hashemite Kingdom Of Jordan.
ameinfo.com/technology/it/4th-edition-middle-east-homeland-security-summit-opens/ |
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7th Sept 2015 - Keynote speaker at International Institute of Counter Terrorism in Israel
ICT is an independent think tank providing expertise in terrorism, counter-terrorism, homeland security, threat vulnerability, risk assessment, intelligence analysis, national security and defence policy. |