World

Police Apologize For Using ‘Allahu Akbar’ In Terror Training Exercise

SEAN HANSFORD/MEN/AFP/Getty Images

Daily Caller News Foundation logo
Rachel Stoltzfoos Staff Reporter
Font Size:

U.K. police apologized for offending the public during a terror training exercise this week, after footage surfaced of a mock suicide bomber yelling “Allahu Akbar” before detonating explosives during the drill.

Eight hundred volunteers participated in the overnight drill simulating a terror attack on a mall in Manchester, in order to test the police force’s emergency preparedness for major terror attacks as happened in Paris and Brussels. Footage of the drill shows a man dressed in black come into the food court and repeatedly shout “Allahu Akbar” before detonating fake explosives and dropping to the ground.

A woman described as a “peace activist” by the BBC criticized the use of a Muslim terrorist, saying “a terrorist can be anyone,” and “we need to move away from stereotypes.” Police quickly apologized.

In a statement explaining the scenario was based on prior terror attacks carried out by Islamic State jihadists and was designed to be “as real life as possible” in order to effectively train officers, police nevertheless apologized for linking the exercise “so vocally” with Islam.

“The scenario for this exercise is based on an attack by an extremist Daesh-style organisation and the scenario writers have centred the circumstances around previous similar attacks of this nature, mirroring details of past events to make the situation as real life as possible for all of those involved,” the statement read. “However, on reflection we acknowledge that it was unacceptable to use this religious phrase immediately before the mock suicide bombing, which so vocally linked this exercise with Islam. We recognise and apologise for the offence that this has caused.”

WATCH: 

Here’s the full statement:

It is a necessity for agencies including the police to train and prepare using exercises such as this, so that we would be in the best possible position to respond in the event that the unthinkable happened and an attack took place.

The scenario for this exercise is based on an attack by an extremist Daesh-style organisation and the scenario writers have centred the circumstances around previous similar attacks of this nature, mirroring details of past events to make the situation as real life as possible for all of those involved.

However, on reflection we acknowledge that it was unacceptable to use this religious phrase immediately before the mock suicide bombing, which so vocally linked this exercise with Islam. We recognise and apologise for the offence that this has caused.

Follow Rachel on Twitter

All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.