LSYF Press Release – Leytonstone Stabbing

London Somali Youth Forum would like to send out its deepest regrets and sympathy to the victims and their families at the unfortunate incident, which took place at the London underground knife attack in Leytonstone on 05-12-15. The Forum condemns all forms of violence and there can be no tolerance to violence against innocent people.

Muhaydin Mire, a 29 year old man of Somali origin with known mental health problems is believed to be the main suspect. It is with great sadness that this is being depicted as a lone wolf terror attack causing havoc in the heart of East London rather than a safeguarding failure to support a man with clear mental health problems.

It is also worth noting that the family of Mr Mire flagged their concern to The Metropolitan Police Service on 22-10-15 who attended Mr Mire house where a request was made by the family to have their son sectioned under the Mental Health Act 2007 due to the relapse.

The Forum has been working tirelessly to ensure that the message being pushed out by mainstream media is actually countered and that the narrative should be of a man and a family who have been failed by local government agencies to help such a vulnerable and mentally unstable man.

The Forum has been working tirelessly to ensure that the facts of the case is scrutinised so that the public are aware of the complexities and issues raised by this case. The Forum feels it is necessary and crucial to work with authorities, family and the media to bring about justice.

It is the case that warning signs was missed by the authorities to coordinate effectively between agencies. If Mr Mire was to receive adequate support this unfortunate situation may have been avoided.

The Forum would like to appeal to the authorities to learn lessons from this unfortunate episode and we would like to further appeal to the Crown Prosecution Service to evaluate the evidence carefully, taking all facts into account before reaching a conclusion into this unfortunate but serious case.

Mental health issues is an enormous silent problem within the Somali community which is often undiagnosed, and in most cases misunderstood, this incident has further highlighted the need for the community to receive the support it requires rather than being labelled and targeted for competing common narratives associated with terrorism. Tonight the Forum along with its members were able to show a different narrative please see the link below.

http://www.channel4.com/news/leytonstone-attack-accused-had-mental-health-problems

The Forum is monitoring the situation carefully and has suggested the community be united in challenging the unfair representation that our community is currently facing. Despite this being an unfortunate incident exacerbated by mental health problems the Forum is in no doubt that there is real and ongoing threat from terrorism which we must challenge collectively. However, what the Forum would not tolerate is the community being used and scapegoated to push shifting political agendas. The Forum would like to take the opportunity to express its appreciation to Anti-Tribalism Movement and Channel 4 News for their sincere contributions to this complex case.

You’re sincerely

Mohamed Ibrahim Chairman
LSYF