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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. 

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.

1st June 2021
Fishmongers' hall. London Bridge terrorist attack 29th nov 2019

Following the Inquest jury’s verdict that failings by the police, probation service and MI5 contributed to the deaths of two graduates killed by a convicted terrorist, Richard Walton, Director of Counter Terrorism Global said:
“The errors here were serious, should not have happened, it’s unacceptable. What I am concerned about is a creeping culture of complacency and I saw it again in the statement from the Met yesterday where they talked about the stark realities where you can never guarantee we will stop every attack. Well, actually there’s only one performance indicator in counter terrorism and that’s the absence of terrorism. And in this case it could have been stopped so it’s unacceptable to refer back to that point that not every attack can be stopped”.
Walton also called for the Home Secretary and Justice Secretary to ensure that the recommendations made in a review into Multi Agency Public Protection Panels (MAPPAs) conducted by Jonathan Hall QC (the Independent Reviewer of Terrorist Legislation) in 2020 had now been fully implemented by the police and MI5.

16TH JULY 2020
'DAYLIGHT ROBBERY - UNCOVERING THE TRUE COST OF PUBLIC SECTOR FRAUD IN THE AGE OF COVID-19'

​Two former home secretaries (David Blunkett and Sajid Javid) supported the findings of ‘Daylight Robbery’, a paper that warns billions of public funds have been stolen by fraudsters during the Covid-19 crisis, as the Government rushed to save businesses and individuals from financial disaster. 
Sajid Javid, former Conservative Home Secretary, said:
“Policy Exchange have done a fantastic job of highlighting the challenge faced by government in preventing fraudsters from taking advantage of the unprecedented package of measures to support individuals and businesses during this crisis.
The paper concludes that Fraud and error during the COVID-19 crisis will cost the UK Government in the region of £4.6 billion*
The report’s lead author, Richard Walton, Senior Fellow at Policy Exchange and former Head of Counter-Terrorism Command in the Metropolitan police, says:
“The Government's economic response has been entirely justified but it has had the unintended consequence of opening up opportunities for fraud on a significant scale” . A new Minister for Fraud and Economic Crime and a forum in the National Economic Crime Centre to co-ordinate the Government's response to this fraud would help to address the scale of the problem.”

17TH APRIL 2020
'EXISTING LOCKDOWN' - USING DIGITAL CONTACT TRACING TO DEFEAT COVID-19

In a joint paper written with Julie Marionneau of Policy Exchange, Richard Walton advises the government to extend its current Five Pillar Testing Strategy to Six Pillars and include a new pillar of digital contact tracing. Widely used in Asian countries more familiar with dealing with pandemics, digital contact tracing will be an important tactic in any post lockdown strategy once emergency restrictions have been relaxed. The paper argues that digital contact tracing requires central command, control and coordination and is only as good as the capability of the UK to undertake mass swab testing, whether antigen or antibody. A key recommendation in the report is for the Government to establish a new 24/7 national Testing a Tracing Command Centre whose function would be to break the chains of transmission of COVID-19 by hunting down the spread of the virus using analysis from tests and contact tracing. The paper references comments by the author Yuval Harari that suggest that the world is facing a choice between 'totalitarian surveillance and citizen empowerment’ and addresses the legal and privacy issues of the NHS using a smartphone digital App. to assist contact tracing.
Subsequent articles have been released commenting on the report. Find those articles below. ​​

23RD MARCH 2020
​'POLICING A PANDEMIC' ​

In a paper ‘Policing the Pandemic’ written for the think tank Policy Exchange, Richard Walton addresses the policing and crime challenges that will be faced over the coming weeks and months, emphasising that the impact of the coronavirus crisis on crime and law and order will be profound but likely short term. Crimes such as alcohol related violence in public spaces will be reduced while others such as domestic violence will increase. The paper recommends that the Government instigate a national advertising campaign to raise morale across the country and to sustain and build social cohesion across communities under stress. It also recommends working with the third sector and civil society organisations in order to devise a national strategy for sustaining strong levels of mental health and well-being across the country and in order to prevent increases in domestic violence. 
Richard Walton said:
“The coronavirus outbreak represents the biggest challenge to policing since the Second World War. The vast majority of the law-abiding public will pull together over the coming weeks and months. But there may be spikes in certain types of criminal behaviour, especially among drug-dealing gangs fighting over reduced revenues, as well as an increase in online phishing attacks and violence in the domestic sphere. Retaining local neighbourhood policing as the glue in local communities, as much as possible, is essential."
Subsequent articles have been released commenting on the report. Find those articles below.

4TH FEBRUARY 2020
GOVERNMENT SHOULD CONSIDER POST SENTENCE DETENTION ORDERS FOR THE MOST SERIOUS TERRORIST OFFENDERS WHO CONTINUE TO POSE A THREAT

Writing in the Daily Mail and in an interview on Radio 4’s Today Programme, Richard Walton called for the government to consider introducing ‘post sentence  detention orders’ with robust legal oversight for the most serious terrorist offenders if, once they have completed their sentence, they still pose a serious threat to public safety. Introduced in Australia, these orders would enable a convicted terrorist to be detained in prison for a defined period (e.g. up to three years) with no limit on the number of renewal applications. Walton also strongly supported the announcement yesterday from the Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland QC who said that the government would be introducing emergency legislation to ensure an end to terrorist offenders getting released automatically having served half their sentence with no check or review.


​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.
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’.

12TH JANUARY 2020
WHY ARE DANGEROUS TERRORISTS RELEASED BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY ON LICENCE?

Last Thursday, a terrorist attack apparently orchestrated by a convicted terrorist (Brusthom Ziamani) occurred inside HMP Whitemoor resulting in five prison officers receiving knife related injuries, one seriously. This follows on from the terrorist attack on 29th November last year on London Bridge by a convicted terrorist released on licence (Usman Khan). Five people were stabbed by Khan, two fatally. In a paper ‘Justice That Protects’, Richard Walton argues that terrorist sentences are too lenient and that parole for terrorists has become a right not a privilege. He recommends abolishing releasing convicted terrorists on licence pointing out that terrorists are particularly dangerous owing to their ideological and, more often than not, theological motives. He also suggests that HM Prisons and Probation Service should be merged back into the Home Office
​
​'THE SUNDAY TIMES' released an article by Lord Carlile supporting the suggestions of Policy Exchange's report by Richard Walton 

2nd December 2019
​MANDATORY INDETERMINATE SENTENCES FOR ALL TERRORIST OFFENDERS WILL HELP TO MITIGATE THE RISK OF them RE-OFFENDING

In a BBC Radio 4 interview (Today Programme) Richard Walton said that mandatory indeterminate sentences are needed for all terrorist offenders to help mitigate the risk of convicted terrorists offenders re-offending upon release. He also said "all terrorist prisoners should be subject to a parole board decision before they are released." 

29TH NOVEMBER 2019
​SECOND LONDON BRIDGE ATTACK - QUESTIONS ASKED ABOUT THE SENTENCING OF TERRORIST OFFENDERS

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Richard Walton, the Director of Counter Terrorism Global Ltd explains the difficulties of monitoring ‘lone actor’ terrorists and carrying out accurate risk assessments on known but chaotic suspects. He explains that the modus operandi of the attack was similar to the previous attack on London bridge in June 2017 when knives and fake suicide vests were also used, but different owing to it having been carried out by a single individual operating alone. He refers to the findings from the Inquest into the 2017 attack (published earlier this month) where the Chief Coroner made recommendations (https://londonbridgeinquests.independent.gov.uk/documents-and-rulings/prevention-of-future-death-report/) about the collaboration between MI5 and counter terrorism police officers working on the same cases and questioned the validity of the ‘lone actor risk assessment tool”. 
It is now clear that this attack was carried out by a convicted terrorist (Usman Khan)(https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-16968518) who was released last year on licence after his previously ‘indeterminate’ sentence was revoked by a Court of Appeal hearing in 2013 (https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/JCO/Documents/Judgments/r-v-usman-khan-others.pdf), despite strong comments by the Trial judge Mr Justice Wilkie (https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/JCO/Documents/Judgments/mr-j-wilkie-sentencing-remarks-r-v-chowdhury.pdf) about the extent of his “dangerousness”. The judge stated that Khan and his co-conspirators were: “about the long term business of establishing and operating a terrorist military training facility in Pakistan on land owned by Khan, to which British recruits .. would go to receive training”. 
Richard Walton states in the article that serious questions will now be asked about whether this attack could have been prevented but concludes that the men and women of MI5 and Counter Terrorism Command (SO15) are extremely self critical.  “If there are lessons to be learned, they will be learnt very quickly indeed”.

9TH SEPTEMBER 2019
PROTEST, PARLIAMENT AND THE RULE OF LAW

Following a succession of seriously disruptive protests in and around Westminster in 2019, including Brexit related protests, Black cabs blocking Parliament Square and Extinction Rebellion blocking roads and bridges, Richard Walton, Director of Counter Terrorism Global Ltd. calls for a change in the law to restrict protests to allocated areas in and around Parliament and Whitehall, together with a change in mindset of the Metropolitan Police towards more robust law enforcement. In a research paper ‘Protest, Parliament and the Rule of Law’ released by Policy Exchange today, he calls for Parliament and Whitehall to be designated as specially restricted zones with prior notification to police being reintroduced for groups engaging in protest. Police should also be permitted to place restrictions on static protest in this area. Referring to the recent protests last week and over the past weekend, Walton said: “this is turning into a circus, a safety issue and - given the resulting media coverage - a national embarrassment”. He also challenged the police response to road blocking by protesters: “police often seem impotent when faced with protesters blocking roads and stopping traffic from moving”

SUBSEQUENT ARTICLES HAVE BEEN WRITTEN COMMENTING ON THE POLICY EXCHANGE REPORT

THE TELEGRAPH - The streets of Westminster are turning into a circus. We need news laws to police protests. - Richard Walton
THE TELEGRAPH - Restore laws banning 'pop-up' protests in Parliament Square, says ex terror chief. - Charles Hymas

13TH AUGUST 2019
​'REKINDLING BRITISH POLICING - A 10-POINT PLAN FOR REVIVAL' BY RICHARD WALTON

Rekindling British Policing, authored by Richard Walton, argues that the vast majority of the 20,000 police recruits announced by the Prime Minister should be used to reverse the “almost total collapse of community policing teams across the country”.
He also urges the Government to co-ordinate a national recruitment process and advertising campaign to streamline and speed up recruitment of the new officers, which is currently carried out by the UK’s 43 police forces independently. Addressing "overbearing and excessive scrutiny” of policing is also critical to both retaining officers and to making policing more attractive as a career, the report argues.

SUBSEQUENT ARTICLES HAVE BEEN WRITTEN COMMENTING ON THE POLICY EXCHANGE REPORT

THE TIMES - Extra police recruits ‘need to be bobbies on the beat’
THE TELEGRAPH - Police are deterred from chasing criminals by 'over-bearing' inquiries into complaints by watchdog, says ex-counter-terror chiefs

16th july 2019
'extremism rebellion - a review of ideology and tactics'

In a Policy Exchange paper co-authored with Tom Wilson from Policy Exchange, Richard Walton examines the ideology, strategy and tactics of the leadership of the environmentalist group Extinction Rebellion. Interviewed on the Today Programme on Radio 4, Walton described the group’s current direct action protests as “anarchy with a smile” . 

15TH JUNE 2019
BBF CONFERENCE - DUBROVNIK, CROATIA

Speaking at the BBF Conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia, Richard Walton - Founder of Counter Terrorism Global Ltd - drew on the lessons of dealing with terrorist attacks over the past thirty years, emphasising the importance of collaboration, communication and digitalisation to solving complex problems in the future. He warned delegates of the dangers of failing to treat cyber risks seriously and made an appeal for the building industry to continue to deliver buildings ‘secured by design’ to counter crime and terrorism threats. Finally, he called for vehicle mitigation barriers to be made more ‘beautiful’ to prevent cities being turned into fortresses.

20TH MAY 2019
​'JIHADI JOHN' WAS A SELF-MADE TERRORIST IMPOSSIBLE TO ARREST

Are terrorists born or made? Richard Walton, Founder of Counter Terrorism Global Ltd. explores this question in the film ‘The Hunt for Jihadi John’ shown on Channel 4 on 20th May.
Writing in The Times, he outlines why Mohammad Emwazi was a self made terrorist, impossible to arrest:
‘Was Mohammed Emwazi — the Islamic State executioner known as “Jihadi John” —   born or made a terrorist? Tonight’s Channel 4 film ‘The Hunt for Jihadi John’, written and produced by the BAFTA award winning Richard Kerbaj, answers this question through the experience of hostages, families and Britain’s counter-terrorism detectives and intelligence officers. It shines a light on Emwazi’s early education in a Church of England school, his subsequent radicalisation at a British university and the steps taken by the security services to try to halt his trajectory from extremist to terrorist. Ultimately these failed to stop him:  Emwazi went on to become one of this country’s worst mass murderers.

16th may 2019
​the government was absolutely right to reject this flawed definition of islamophobia

In an article in the Daily Telegraph, Richard Walton praised police chiefs for raising legitimate concerns about the APPG definition of Islamophobia and the government for resisting calls to adopt the definition. In the article, he says that the government’s own counter-terrorist strategy (CONTEST) would be seriously undermined if the definition was adopted: ‘The UK government was right to categorically reject the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) definition of Islamophobia during the debate in the House of Commons today. The definition – that “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness” is unacceptable in a modern democracy that values freedom of speech.

3RD MAY 2019
​ISLAMIST EXTREMISM REMAINS A BIGGER THREAT THAN THE FAR-RIGHT

Writing in the Jewish Chronicle, Richard Walton compares the Islamist threat to the UK with the threat from the far right.  In the article, he states that extremists who support far-right ideologies number around 500-600 across the UK, with a small hardcore of around 100 individuals suspected of having allegiance to National Action, the proscribed Neo-Nazi terrorist organisation which is of growing concern to the police and MI5. He concludes, however, that the threat from the far right is comparatively small compared to the threat to the UK from Islamist extremism.

29TH APRIL 2019
ISLAMOPHOBIA DEFINITION WOULD CRIPPLE UK COUNTER-TERRORISM WORK AND MAKE ISLAMIST ATTACKS MORE LIKELY, SAYS NEW REPORT BY RICHARD WALTON

A controversial definition of Islamophobia proposed by a cross-party group of MPs – and since adopted by the Labour party among others – would risk “successful and accepted counter-terrorism measures” being “declared unlawful”, according to Lord Carlile of Berriew QC, the UK’s Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation from 2001 to 2011.
His warning comes in the Foreword of a new report for Policy Exchange, published on Monday 29 April, co-authored by Richard Walton, former Head of Counter-Terrorism Command at the Metropolitan Police.
The report – Islamophobia – Crippling Counter-Terrorism– comes as the Government and Conservative Party are being put under pressure officially to adopt a definition of Islamophobia put forward by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims last November. 

17TH MARCH 2019
​HOW THE POLICE SHOULD DEAL WITH FAR-RIGHT TERRORISM

Commenting on the New Zealand terrorist attack in an article for The Spectator, Richard Walton argues that the most important lesson from the history of counter-terrorism is that all forms of terrorism are best tackled through a rule of law counter terrorism framework that involves covert pro-active intelligence and evidence gathering against known extremists. Critical to the approach is co-operation of the wider community who need to be repeatedly encouraged to report any suspicious behaviour to the authorities. It is extremely difficult to identify ‘lone actor’ extremists who deliberately remain anonymous and beneath the radar of the police and intelligence agencies whilst plotting attacks. 

25th February 2019
​'JIHADI BRIDES' LIKE SHAMIMA BEGUM ARE AS DANGEROUS AS THEIR MALE COUNTERPARTS'

Richard Walton, Director of Counter Terrorism Global writes in The Times:

'Why do we describe ISIS women as ‘Jihadi brides’ and ISIS men as ‘Jihadi fighters’? You cannot assess the level of threat they may pose based on gender. Whatever the legal arguments about Shamima Begum’s revoked British citizenship, one thing is clear: UK policy on dealing with British nationals trying to return from Syria should not discriminate along gender lines. Women who joined Isis as “jihadi brides”, far from being passive actors or victims, are likely to have been participants in terrorist activities in Syria. Many will pose just as much of a security threat as their male counterparts.'

15th february 2019
'if isil's remnants return, treason charges and trails must await'

Commenting on the case of the British “jihadi bride” Shamima Begum, Richard Walton, Director of Counter Terrorism Global Ltd. wrote that the response from the UK needed to be robust. He said that the country should resist calls to treat women who join ISIL any differently from men as research had provided a body of evidence that showed they had not been passive actors in Syria but, more often than not, active participants. He also wrote that existing terrorist legislation, including the new Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act was not adequate for dealing with some of the most hardened terrorists returning from ISIL. He wrote: “For this reason, I believe the case for a renewed offence of treason - made in a Policy Exchange paper entitled “Aiding the Enemy” last year - will now be strengthened.There has to be a recognition that betraying your country and the society that raised you is a crime that merits punishment”. 

24th december 2018
​'TERRORISTS USE OF DRONES - A QUESTION. OF WHEN, NOT IF'

Following the criminal use of a drone that caused widespread disruption at Gatwick airport, Director of Counter Terrorism Global Ltd, Richard Walton argued that it had now become a question of when, not if, UAVs will be used by terrorists in a European state. Walton asserted that drones are a very difficult threat in a civilian context and that there is sadly no foolproof solution. He also criticised the response from the UK government stating that it should have been more vigilant in its response to the threat of a drone. He stated: “It was too long before the drone flying above Gatwick was seen as a national major incident and treated accordingly and it was too long before the Whitehall machine got involved”. He also advised that: “The ease with which a major UK aviation hub was brought to a standstill will not have escaped the attention of terrorist groups who will be wondering why they have not tried using drones before.”

12 December 2018
​'between god and mammon' - the crime terror nexus - Brussels

Richard Walton presented to a joint round table seminar on the crime / terror nexus in Brussels just hours after the Strasbourg terrorist attack in a Christmas market committed by Cherif Chekatt - a criminal with numerous convictions who had been radicalised in prison. Speaking at the event, Walton said: "the Strasbourg attack regrettably looks like yet another example of the crime / terror phenomenon in Europe with a criminal becoming radicalised, switching motivation, then using his established skills set to commit a terrorist act". He emphasised the relevance of criminality to the growth in Islamist extremism and how criminal histories affect how individuals radicalise towards violence and the modus operandi they then go on to use in terrorist attacks. ​

NOVEMBER 2018
​VIDEO LINK PROMOTION OF SCTX SECURITY AND COUNTER TERROR EXPO 2019

As a member of the Security and Counter Terror Expo  Advisory Board, Richard Walton promotes the forthcoming 2019 event Security & Counter Terror Expo as a world-class showcase of the capabilities, strategies and intelligence to keep nations, infrastructure, business and people safe.
SCTX continues to be committed to the National Security strategy and runs in close correspondence with the Government agencies, national operators and local authorities who work in tandem to execute the CONTEST Strategy. With Counter Terrorism Policing at the very heart of the operation and our lead partner, the show will be engaging with more Government Officials, Senior Police Officers, Military Personnel and Chief Security Officers than ever before.

​For its 11th edition, the event will bring together 10,000+ senior security professionals from the government, private sector, critical infrastructure, military, law enforcement, transport security, border security, security services, major events and emergency services to discuss and debate the latest challenges in national security.

29-31 OCTOBER 2018
CRISIS MANAGEMENT AND DECISION MAKING IN counter terrorism SEMINAR

Counter Terrorism Global Ltd co-ordinated and delivered this high level 3 day engagement with senior police and intelligence officials from a West African nation state. ​Benchmarked against the UK Counter Terrorism model, the seminar drew on learning from terrorist incident case studies, delivering seminal training input on crisis management response to terrorist incidents, terrorist siege and hostage negotiation. ​The seminar was facilitated by experienced and expert professionals, with unique and long-established careers in counter terrorism.  
​​

16 OCTOBER 2018 - BBC NEWSNIGHT

​In 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.'

 JUNE 2018 
​​​KING'S COLLEGE LONDON

Counter Terrorism Global Ltd contributing to the King's Intelligence Studies programme with a presentation on counter-terrorism and evidence. The presentation tracked the evolution of the use of intelligence presented as evidence in UK courts by UK intelligence agencies and law enforcement from the era of Irish related terrorism to more recent cases involving Al-Qaeda and Islamic State.

7-8th march 2018
security and counter terror expo 2018

Richard Walton was Special Advisor to 2018 Security and Counter Terrorism Expo and is also Chair of the Advisory Board to SCTX. SCTX is the UK's leading national security event, now in its 10th year. It attracts security and counter terrorism professionals from around the world and includes the World Counter Terror Congress. Over 10,000 people visited the event over the course of the two day event with 114 countries represented. Over 500 VIPs attended and there were over 200 conference sessions. Keynote speakers included Mark Rowley, UK Head of Counter Terrorism Policing, Sir Michael Fallon and the Deputy National Security Advisor Richard Moore.

13th february 2018
Speaker at the handa centre for the study of terrorism and political violence, st andrews university.

Richard Walton was speaker at the Postgraduate Workshop, Mlitt in Terrorism Studies at the Handa Centre for the Study  of Terrorism and Political Violence, School of International Relations. University of St Andrews. The talk was entitled: 'The UK CT Rule of Law Model'. The UK has been dealing with terrorism for over a century and has developed a unique collaborative model for tackling terrorism threats. The model is based on the fundamental principle that terrorism is best defeated through the 'rule of law'. This model has evolved and changed over the decades and is now world leading. The presentation explained the evolution of the model and how the UK intelligence agencies work with the National Police Counter Terrorism Network to gather intelligence and evidence relating to terrorist activity. 

30th january 2018
BUSINESS COUNCIL OF CANADA NEW YEAR MEMBER'S MEETING

Richard Walton was a Keynote Speaker at this event for Canadian CEOs in Munich. Entitled 'Homegrown terrorism and radicalisation: what business needs to know', he spoke alongside Prof. Peter Neumann, Director, International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, King's College, London. Both speakers emphasised the changing nature of the terrorist threat since the demise of the Islamic State "Caliphate" and growth of social media. Foreign fighters returning to their homelands represent a very real risk to countries trying to prevent terrorism. According to the Canadian government, 190 extremists with a nexus to Canada are abroad and suspected of having engaged in terrorist activity. In addition, the Canadian government is aware of 60 individuals who have returned to Canada. Richard advised the CEOs to undertake comprehensive threat and risk assessments on terrorism risk in their sectors, regions and companies.

19TH SEPTEMBER 2017 - 
'britain's unique intelligence expertise is vital to the eu'

Richard Walton supports the Govt's position paper on security arrangements describing it as a rational, sensible proposal, providing Britain does not have to contribute financially to what is a mutually beneficial arrangement. He argues that the proposal will succeed because police and intelligence agency professionals across Europe know full well that the EU will carry significant risk if the UK does not continue to engage fully with Europe's crime and security agencies. 

14TH SEPT 2107 - defence and security equipment international (DSEI) 
speech on 'security and terror - 'keeping your country safe' 

​The UK has now experienced five terrorist attacks in 2017 with the most recent bombing on a London Underground tube carriage thankfully resulting in no loss of life. There has been a profound surge in the terrorist threat across Europe over the year whilst the 'coalition against Islamic State' succeeds in defeating the so-called 'Caliphate' in Syria and Iraq. Intelligence agencies are referring to this as a 'shift' in the threat level and tempo rather than a 'spike' - in essence a 'new norm'. This speech focused on strategies to combat this new level of threat, in particular, thwarting attacks by inspired self-starters or 'lone actors', (extremists who are carrying out less sophisticated attacks using vehicles and knives as weapons) and addressing the vexed issue of on-line radicalisation and the use of social media to inspire terrorism.  
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'.
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.
24th May 2017 -​ Richard Walton writes about why 'Stopping radicalised Britons from travelling to Libya is not easy - nor always desirable'.
23rd May 2017 - Richard walton writes a response to to Manchester terrorist attacks, discussing why 'After Manchester, terrorists will keep trying to attack Britain'.
​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.
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.
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. 
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'. 
23rd November 2017 - Speaker and advisor at a test and exercise for a terrorist incident at Stadion Energa football stadium in Gdansk, Poland. The live play exercise tested the response of the emergency services to a terrorist attack at the stadium, one of Poland's largest football stadia. 
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. 
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. 
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'.
6-9th September 2016 - Speaker at the Economic Forum 2016, Poland entitled, 'Facing Contemporary Terrorism - How to Defend Europe?'.
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'.
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'.
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'  

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.
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 - Included in Debrett's '500 Most Influential People in the UK'
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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'.
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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/
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.