Why wasn’t Southport murder suspect charged with terrorism?

The two additional charges facing Axel Rudakubana raise a very confusing question.

How can an alleged murderer be accused of possessing part of a terrorist manual but not himself charged with terrorism?

The answer is nuanced, and both the police and the Home Office are clearly concerned that this nuance will be lost.

Here is their explanation.

It is a crime to possess Al Qaeda’s manual.

But this guide did not necessarily inspire the other alleged murders for which Rudakubana is currently accused.

Police were unable to determine his motivation was terrorism.

Others will look at the additional charge of producing ricin poison and ask once again: What was the motivation for the stabbings, if not terrorism?

We may never know.

But already some commentators claim that the police and the government have canceled the discussion about Rudakubana’s possible purpose.

At a time when trust in the police, politics and mainstream media is low, today’s news will undoubtedly fuel conspiracy theories.

But the situation is complex.

Once charges are filed under the law, little about the case can be disputed.

Police today took the extraordinary step of revealing what they later learned about Axel Rudakubana’s alleged behavior after first charging him in August.

We are learning this for the first time now.

The full picture will not be revealed until the hearing.

The police and government hope the public will have the patience not to jump to conclusions.

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