Anti-migration activist Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo, has been arrested at a petrol station after footage showed him slashing an inflatable dinghy in the English Channel while a rescue worker remained on board. The 37-year-old was detained on Wednesday night, 23 September, at a BP petrol station after being surrounded by police vehicles. Footage of the arrest shows officers approaching Thomas before taking him into custody. An officer can be heard telling him that he was being arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and recklessly endangering someone’s life. The arrest follows an incident in the Channel on Tuesday which had already prompted a police investigation.

Dinghy slashed while rescue worker remained on board

Thomas had spent Tuesday afternoon in a speedboat in the English Channel, livestreaming as he followed dinghies carrying people attempting to reach the UK. Footage showed him approaching an inflatable dinghy after the migrants who had been travelling aboard had been transferred from the vessel. A rescue worker was still on the inflatable boat when Thomas used a blade to slash and puncture its side. Thomas could also be heard shouting “traitors” during the encounter. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary subsequently confirmed officers were aware of the footage and had begun inquiries into the incident. The dinghy was no longer carrying migrants when it was damaged, but a rescue worker remained aboard.

Arrested at BP petrol station

The investigation moved forward on Wednesday night when Thomas was stopped at a BP petrol station. Video circulating online shows several police vehicles at the scene as officers detain him. During the arrest, Thomas is informed that he is being arrested in connection with suspected criminal damage and recklessly endangering someone’s life. Separate reporting of the arrest confirms that police stopped his vehicle before taking him into custody on suspicion of the two offences.

Incident followed major Gosport protest

Thomas’s arrest comes after hundreds of protesters gathered in Gosport on Tuesday amid expectations that people who had crossed the Channel would be brought ashore in Hampshire. Thomas had earlier livestreamed from the Channel while following small boats.

  Protesters subsequently gathered near Haslar Marina, with some chanting “send them back”, but the people who had crossed the Channel were ultimately taken to Dover instead. Six people were arrested during the separate police operation in Gosport. Two men from Salisbury, aged 19 and 36, were arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass. Four people from Gosport — two men aged 33 and 67 and two women aged 31 and 32 — were arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker. The 67-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of careless driving.

Police investigation continues

Thomas’s arrest represents a significant development in the investigation into Tuesday’s events in the Channel. The footage of the incident, including the moment the dinghy was damaged and the presence of the rescue worker, is expected to form part of the police investigation. Thomas has been arrested on suspicion of offences. An arrest does not amount to a criminal charge or conviction, and the allegations against him remain subject to investigation.

Originally published by UKNIP.