The Liverpool bomb attacker, Emad Al Swealmeen, was a failed asylum seeker whose legal attempt to remain in the UK was rejected by judges without a full hearing, the BBC has confirmed. The Upper Tribunal of the Immigration and Asylum Chamber stated that Al Swealmeen sought to appeal a lower court decision but was refused permission, as a judge concluded there were no grounds to overturn the ruling. The decision is believed to have been made in early 2017.
Al Swealmeen had reportedly lost his initial asylum claim in 2014. After exhausting his appeal rights, he became destitute. Christian activist Malcolm Hitchcott and his wife offered him accommodation for eight months from April 2017, during which he converted to Christianity. Hitchcott described Al Swealmeen as 'blossoming' in his faith, but they lost contact after he left their home.
The Home Office typically withdraws support and warns of removal when asylum claims are rejected and appeals exhausted. However, it remains unclear whether the Home Office took steps to remove Al Swealmeen or informed him of impending deportation. Questions have been raised about the handling of his case.
Al Swealmeen had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act prior to his asylum rejection, reportedly after wielding a knife in public. He was baptised in 2015 and confirmed in 2017 at Liverpool Cathedral, but the cathedral lost contact with him in 2018. The Right Reverend Cyril Ashton, who confirmed him, expressed shock and sadness at the bombing.
Ewan Roberts of Asylum Link, which supported Al Swealmeen, described the attack as 'horrific' and said the organisation struggles to understand why someone they helped would commit such an act.
