For reasons of sub-judice I would not normally engage in any detailed comment about a court case prior to it having been dealt with by a jury, but the massive explosion in Leicester that killed five people, has attracted a lot public comment and speculation already. Therefore it is unlikely that any potential juror is unaware of either the incident or the questions that have been raised in the explosion’s aftermath. In any event this post mostly concerns the actions of the police which have been remarkably shifty following the incident.

Following the tragic explosion on the 25^th February the police very swiftly announced that they did not suspect terrorism. Leicestershire Police seemed to be quite emphatic about that. Because the police discounted terrorism at a very early stage this led many people online to speculate about the nature of an explosion large enough to ‘pancake’ a building of this size. There were speculative explanations for how this explosion could have come about such as illegal vodka stills to illegal gas installations and even the storage of flammable gases. If the police discounted terror at such an early stage in the investigation, than many would have thought, quite rightly, that this explosion was the result of incompetence rather than malevolence, especially the sort of Islamic malevolence that we’ve all grown to know and despise. As well as initially denying that this explosion was the result of terrorism, as a number of counterjihad types on social media have said it might be, the police also remained tight lipped on the speculation that an illegal distillery could be to blame.

However, now that charges have been laid against three men, things may start to become a little clearer, not just about the nature of the incident itself, but also the police’s attitude and behaviour following the explosion.

Media is reporting that three men, all it needs to be noted, with Muslim names, have been charged with manslaughter and arson in the incident that caused the deaths of Mary Rajoobeer, 46, her two sons Shane, 18, and Sean, 17. Also killed in the explosion were 18-year-old Leah Beth Reek, who was Shane’s girlfriend, and 22-year-old Viktorija Ljevleva.

According to Sky News the Muslims who have been charged are: Aram Kurd, Hawkar Hassan and Arkan Ali. They’ve been remanded in custody and will appear at Leicester Magistrates Court on Monday 5^th March. These Muslims were initially arrested and held on suspicion of conspiracy to cause an explosion, which should tell us that despite the police assurances to the public that they did not suspect malevolence, that this was indeed the case.

The police kept from the public the information that this explosion was suspected of being a deliberate act. Now they may have done this in order to not alert other suspects that the police may be onto them, this is a reasonable explanation for the police’s evasive word salads that they served up to the public. But, it could equally also be the case that for political reasons and ‘community cohesion’ reasons, the police suspected some form of foul play, assumed terrorism, but told the public that that terrorism was not on the cards in order to appease Islam in a city where this ideology has some political power.

You don’t arrest and hold someone on suspicion of conspiracy to cause an explosion in a normal arson or arson intended to endanger life case or for putting in illegal gas works or allowing a premises to be used for an illegal still. It would be over the top and inappropriate to do so. There are plenty of other legal instruments to arrest and hold those who are suspected of arson or bodged gas installations or other similar offences.

We will of course not know the full details of this case until it is put before a judge and jury. Things like motivations, reasons and background to both the crime and the accused will be publicly aired then. But, the fact that more details about this incident will come out in the proper time should not distract us from the knowledge that Leicestershire Police, suspected foul play, but didn’t say anything to the public or even warn the public that this explosion could be the result of malevolent intent rather than a tragic accident.

It is unlikely in my view, and by looking at this case, which is still in its very early stages, that this explosion was the result of terrorism, it looks like something else. For one thing the charges that these men face do indicate that at this juncture, terrorism is not suspected. However if Leicestershire Police are willing to obfuscate about whether this explosion was deliberate or accidental in a case that doesn’t look like terrorism, then it begs the question how would this force behave if there really was a terrorist incident.

Would they for example, keep schtum about a prematurely exploding Islamic bomb factory or some other destructive Islam related incident for reasons of ‘community cohesion’ or would they tell the truth? Something tells me that Leicester Police may well choose the former rather than the latter course of action. I don’t know about you but I feel that my trust in Leicestershire Police is to a very great degree, damaged. If they can fudge over this incident then what other incidents would they fudge and obfuscate about? Jihad? Islamic Rape Gangs? Muslims attacking Hindus and members of other faiths? We don’t know but I really would not trust Leicestershire Police to tell the public if that was indeed the case. Things are getting curiouser and curiouser about this case but the police are definitely coming out of this smelling slightly less than sweet.