‘Terrorism has changed’: Southport attack a sign the country faces a new threat, PM says

Published

4 months ago

January 21, 2025

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Sir Keir Starmer has said “Britain faces a new threat” and terrorism has changed in light of the Southport attack last summer.

Speaking the day after Axel Rudakubana, 18, admitted murdering three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class, the prime minister said “terrorism has changed” at a news conference in Downing Street.

“In the past, the predominant threat was highly organised groups with clear political intent. Groups like al Qaeda. That threat, of course, remains,” he said.

“But now, alongside that, we also see acts of extreme violence perpetrated by loners, misfits, young men in their bedroom accessing all manner of material online, desperate for notoriety, sometimes inspired by traditional terrorist groups, but fixated on that extreme violence seeming only for its own sake.”

Politics latest: PM takes on claims of ‘cover-up’ over Southport attack

He added: “If a law needs to change to recognise this new and dangerous threat, then we will change it and quickly, and we will also review our entire counter-extremist system to make sure we have what we need to defeat it.”

The PM announced Sir David Anderson KC, an independent reviewer of terror legislation, has been appointed as the new independent commissioner for Prevent, the UK’s anti-extremism scheme.

After his guilty plea, it emerged Rudakubana was referred to the Prevent scheme three times in the 17 months before the attack over concerns about his fixation with violence but a judgement was made that he did not require intervention.

Sir Keir said the Southport killings “must be a line in the sand for Britain” and there must be “fundamental change” in how the country protects its children.

“The senseless barbaric murder of three young girls in Southport is a devastating moment in our history. No words come anywhere close to expressing the brutality and horror in this case,” he said.

Hours after Rudakabana’s guilty plea, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced an inquiry into the stabbings would take place.

Sir Keir said an inquiry was needed “because we are dealing with a new cohort, a new different threat, this individualised extreme violence”.

He said the government would not wait until the inquiry finished before making changes, adding: “We need to get on with the change in the meantime and to reassure the public that every step has been taken to protect their children.”

‘I would never disclose details that could collapse a trial’

The prime minister also said he knew Rudakubana was known to the authorities and referred to Prevent when the attacks happened, but he could not reveal that at the time because it risked collapsing the trial.

“The vile individual who committed these crimes would have walked away, a free man, the prospect of justice destroyed for the victims and their families,” he said.

“I would never do that, and nobody would ever forgive me if I had. That is why the law of this country forbade me or anyone else from disclosing details sooner.”

Following the killings, misinformation online, claiming the killer was an asylum seeker who had recently arrived by small boat, prompted riots across the UK.

Sir Keir’s critics accused him of a cover-up but the PM said if he had revealed Rudakubana’s background the only losers would have been the victims and their families.

But he admitted the state had failed to identify the teenager was a serious threat.

“There has been a failure here, and I don’t intend to let any institution of the state deflect from their failures,” he said.

A history of violence

On Monday, Rudakubana unexpectedly pleaded guilty to murdering Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, on 29 July last year on what was due to be the first day of his trial.

Rudakubana also admitted to 10 counts of attempted murder and possession of a kitchen knife during the attack in the Merseyside town.

A week before the attack, Rudakubana, then 17, booked a taxi to take him to his old school, Range High School in Formby, but his father stopped him from leaving, it is understood.

The teenager, who has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, was expelled from the school in about 2019 over claims he was carrying a knife after telling Childline he was being racially bullied and brought the knife to protect himself.

It is understood that, after his exclusion, he returned to the school to target a former bully or someone he had a grievance with and assaulted someone with a hockey stick.

Rudakubana then attended two specialist schools, where teachers were concerned about his behaviour.

Politics

Scotland’s former first minister Humza Yousaf hits out at Starmer’s ‘dog whistle’ stance on immigration

Published

3 hours ago

May 17, 2025

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Scotland's former first minister Humza Yousaf hits out at Starmer's 'dog whistle' stance on immigration

Former Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf has attacked Sir Keir Starmer for his “dog whistle” stance on immigration after the prime minister said the UK risked becoming an “island of strangers”.

In a piece penned by Mr Yousaf for LBC, the former leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) repeated claims the prime minister’s recent remarks on immigration were a “modern echo” of Enoch Powell’s infamous 1968 Rivers Of Blood speech.

The prime minister stirred controversy earlier this week when he argued Britain “risked becoming an island of strangers” if immigration levels were not cut.

After many MPs criticised his language, Sir Keir rejected the comparison to Powell, with his official spokesperson saying migrants have made a “massive contribution” to society but his point was that the Tories “lost control of the system”.

In the LBC piece published on Saturday, Mr Yousaf said: “Powell’s 1968 speech warned of immigration as an existential threat to ‘our blood and our culture’, stoking racial panic that led directly to decades of hostile migration policies.

“Starmer’s invocation of ‘strangers’ is a modern echo – a dog-whistle to voters who blame migrants for every social ill, from stretched public services to the cost-of-living crisis.

“It betrays a failure to understand, or deliberately mask the fact that Britain’s prosperity depends on migration, on openness not building walls.”

Sir Keir made the comments at a news conference in which measures were announced to curb net migration, including banning care homes from recruiting overseas, new English language requirements for visa holders and stricter rules on gaining British citizenship.

The package is aimed at reducing the number of people coming to the UK by up to 100,000 per year, though the government has not officially set a target.

The government is under pressure to tackle legal migration, as well as illegal immigration, amid Reform UK’s surge in the polls.

Mr Yousaf concluded his article saying the UK was “on the brink of possibly handing the keys of No 10 to Nigel Farage”.

Politics

Everstake defends non-custodial staking as SEC weighs industry input

Published

11 hours ago

May 17, 2025

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Everstake defends non-custodial staking as SEC weighs industry input

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has held discussions with Everstake, one of the largest non-custodial staking providers globally, to explore clearer regulatory definitions around staking in blockchain networks.

The meeting, which also involved the SEC’s Crypto Task Force, comes at a time when over $193 billion in digital assets are staked across major proof-of-stake (PoS) networks.

However, despite the massive scale of participation, staking remains in a legal gray zone in the US as regulators wrestle with its classification under existing securities law.

The previous SEC administration also took enforcement actions against major players such as Kraken, Coinbase, and Consensys due to their staking services. The agency, under pro-crypto President Donald Trump, has recently dismissed these enforcement actions.

During the meeting, Everstake told the SEC that non-custodial staking should not be classified as a securities transaction. The company said that users maintain full control over their digital assets throughout the staking process and do not transfer ownership to a third party.

They argued that this makes staking a technical function, not an investment product.

“Our main assertion is that staking is not a financial instrument or security transaction, but rather a technical process, a base-layer protocol mechanism—akin to an oracle in a database—that maintains the integrity and functionality of decentralized networks,” Everstake founder Sergii Vasylchuk told Cointelegraph.

Everstake calls for regulatory clarity

In a letter submitted to the SEC’s Crypto Task Force on April 8, 2025, Everstake asked the agency to extend regulatory clarity to non-custodial staking and custodial and liquid staking models.

In the letter, which came in respond to Commissioner Hester Peirce’s call for input on regulatory treatment of blockchain services, Everstake argued that non-custodial staking should not be considered a securities offering.

It claimed that non-custodial staking, where users retain control of their tokens, does not involve the pooling of assets or the expectation of profits from managerial efforts.

In its model, Everstake said users delegate only validation rights while maintaining ownership of their digital assets. The staking rewards are algorithmically distributed by the blockchain network itself, and the firm merely provides technical infrastructure.

Non-custodial staking fails the Howey test

The letter also details why non-custodial staking fails each prong of the Howey test. Users do not make an investment of money in a common enterprise, do not expect profits from Everstake’s efforts, and are not dependent on the company’s management for financial returns.

Instead, any rewards come from network-level incentives and fluctuate with the market value of the underlying asset.

Everstake proposes specific criteria that should exempt non-custodial staking from securities classification. These include user asset control, absence of pooled funds, permissionless unstaking, and the provision of purely technical services.

It likens non-custodial staking to proof-of-work mining, which the SEC has previously ruled out as a securities transaction.

Margaret Rosenfeld, Everstake’s chief legal officer, also told Cointelegraph that “with non-custodial staking, there’s no handover of assets, no investment contract, and no third-party risk.” She added:

“Treating it as a securities offering undermines the decentralized model and risks chilling innovation in the blockchain sector.”

Nevertheless, the SEC has so far withheld a definitive stance. Rosenfeld said that the agency did not make any “specific commitments” on staking guidance. However, it continues to listen to industry stakeholders.

“The Task Force is actively engaging with a range of stakeholders—including those involved with non-custodial staking, ETFs, and broader blockchain infrastructure—to gather input.”

In an April 30 letter to the SEC, nearly 30 crypto advocate groups led by the lobby group the Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI) asked the agency for clear regulatory guidance on crypto staking and staking services.

Magazine: Binance Wallet ‘killing’ MetaMask and airdrops, Chinese RWA tokens: Asia Express

Politics

New Zealand man arrested in $265M crypto scam tied to FBI probe

Published

14 hours ago

May 17, 2025

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New Zealand man arrested in 5M crypto scam tied to FBI probe

A man from Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand, has been arrested in connection with an FBI-led investigation into a global cryptocurrency fraud operation that allegedly stole $450 million New Zealand dollars ($265 million).

According to New Zealand Police, the man is one of 13 individuals charged after authorities executed search warrants across Auckland, Wellington, and California over the past three days.

The charges stem from allegations that members of an organized criminal group manipulated seven victims to obtain large amounts of cryptocurrency, which was then laundered through multiple platforms between March and August 2024.

The US Department of Justice has indicted the man under federal law, including charges of racketeering, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, per the announcement.

New Zealand man arrested in $265M crypto scam tied to FBI probe — *Source: New Zealond Police*

Scammer used stolen funds to purchase luxury vehicles

Prosecutors allege the stolen funds were used to purchase $9 million worth of luxury vehicles and spent lavishly on high-end goods, including designer handbags, watches, and clothing, as well as services such as nightclub access, private security, and rentals in Los Angeles, Miami, and the Hamptons.

The accused appeared in Auckland District Court and was granted bail with interim name suppression. He is scheduled to reappear on July 3.

“We have worked closely with our law enforcement colleagues in the United States in support of their investigation,” the police stated. They added:

“Today’s search warrant and arrest reflects the importance of international partnerships where criminals are operating across borders.”

The investigation remains ongoing.

Crypto thefts surge to $360 million in April

Digital asset thefts skyrocketed in April 2025, with nearly $360 million stolen across 18 separate hacking incidents, according to data from blockchain security firm PeckShield.

The figure marks a staggering 990% jump from March when reported losses stood at just $33 million. The sharp rise was largely attributed to a single unauthorized Bitcoin transfer that accounted for the bulk of the month’s losses.

On April 28, blockchain analyst ZachXBT identified a suspicious $330 million BTC transaction. The incident was later confirmed as a social engineering attack that targeted an elderly US resident, resulting in one of the largest individual crypto thefts to date.

Magazine: Binance Wallet ‘killing’ MetaMask and airdrops, Chinese RWA tokens: Asia Express