Man from Ealing Faces Gun Smuggling Charges

Weapons and ammunition seized at Port of Dover

Picture: The Port of Dover

A 24-year-old man from Ealing has been charged with multiple firearms offences after police discovered a number of weapons and ammunition in a vehicle stopped at the Port of Dover.

Khalid Ahmed, who holds dual Dutch and Irish nationality, was charged on Tuesday 31 March with ten counts of possessing a prohibited weapon under section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968, along with one count of possessing prohibited ammunition.

He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 1 April.

The charges follow Ahmed’s detention on Thursday 26 March, when he was stopped under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 after arriving in the UK from France. Counter Terrorism officers questioned him at Dover and searched his vehicle, where they found a number of self-loading pistols. He was arrested at the scene.

Given the circumstances, the investigation was taken on by Counter Terrorism Policing London, and officers subsequently carried out a search at an address in west London. Ahmed was initially held under section 41 of the Terrorism Act, and on Saturday 28 March a warrant of further detention was granted by Westminster Magistrates’ Court, allowing police to keep him in custody until 1 April. Following authorisation from the Crown Prosecution Service, he was charged.

Commander Helen Flanagan, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, acknowledged that the case may cause public concern but said there is no evidence of any immediate threat. “We appreciate this news may be concerning to the public, but since this arrest took place, we have been carrying out a number of enquiries and to-date, we have not identified any imminent threats to the public relating to this,” she said. She urged people not to speculate while criminal proceedings are active, adding: “Our investigation remains ongoing to ensure that the public is kept safe.”