Hartlepool attacker given life sentence

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A man who murdered a 70-year-old and attempted to kill a second person has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 44 years and 152 days.

Ahmed Ali Alid was found guilty after a trial in April of the murder of Terence Carney, and the attempted murder of a 32-year-old man on Sunday 15 October 2023. He was also found guilty of two offences of Assaulting an Emergency Worker after attacking two police officers while in custody.

He was sentenced at Teesside Crown Court on Friday 17 May. At the sentencing hearing, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb declared that the attacks were an act of terrorism.

Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East who led the investigation, supported by Cleveland Police, said: “In this case it was appropriate that the decision to declare this horrific incident as an act of terrorism was made once all the evidence had been heard by the court.

“The defendant had expressed, during the time of his arrest and whilst in custody, that his actions were inspired by the Israel-Hamas conflict. He appeared to have developed a fixation with the events there.

“International conflicts can create a mix of outrage, grief and grievance which has the potential to galvanise those with an extremist or potentially extremist mind-set to take action. Sadly, as we have seen in this case, it can have devastating consequences.  

“Nothing can justify the actions of the defendant that day. I have no doubt that the bravery of the Cleveland officers involved in the initial response prevented further harm or loss of life that morning. Today’s sentence reflects the shocking and horrendous nature of the crimes this man has committed.

Matt Juke, head of Counter Terrorism Policing, said: "The attack on Sunday 15th October last year was violent and cowardly. Mr Carney had no chance, or time, to defend himself and the perpetrator of this attack admitted after his arrest, that he would not have been his only victim that day had he been able to continue his attack.  

"I therefore want to also praise the swift and brave actions taken by officers from Cleveland Police, Mr Nouri and the other occupants of the property who ensured the perpetrator did not claim any more lives.

"This awful incident took place just one week after the 7th October terrorist attack on Israel and before the full-scale conflict that has since unfolded in the Middle East. It is now evident, and as made clear by the judge, that Ahmed Alid’s existing extremist mind set and hatred accelerated over that week.

"He was galvanised by international events and therefore felt justified to commit such a heinous attack. We have seen similar terrorist acts by individuals across Europe in recent months, and amongst our current casework, there are investigations into comparable risks that we continue to pursue alongside our partners.

"When we disrupt terrorist planning – as we do month-in, month-out – we’re constantly learning lessons. And when terrorist attacks take place, we look even harder to understand where the potential to detect and disrupt future attackers lies.  

"This will remain a partnership with local policing and critically, with the public. We have received extraordinary levels of contact from the public since October last year on issues from objectionable material online to family members who are worried that a loved one is going down a dangerous path."