The Metropolitan Police have agreed to settle a legal claim brought by Tej Singh Bhandal, a 68-year-old activist involved with pro-Palestinian organizations. Bhandal was detained at St Pancras International railway station earlier this year when returning to the UK via Eurostar. Officers pulled him from a queue and arrested him under Schedule Seven of the Terrorism Act 2000 after he declined to provide his mobile phone pin code. He was held in custody for several hours before being released.
Bhandal subsequently challenged his arrest in court. According to statements from his legal representatives, Scotland Yard acknowledged that supporting and funding lawful political protest organizations, including the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, does not automatically indicate a connection to terrorism. The Met agreed to settle the claim and close the criminal investigation against Bhandal.
Bhandal characterized his arrest as humiliating and described it as an abuse of power, noting he was handcuffed and led through the station in public view. He suggested that an intelligence flag placed on his name following a separate 2025 police investigation into a Palestine Action-linked incident may have contributed to his detention. During that earlier investigation, he was questioned by counter-terrorism police over four days, his residence was searched, and his devices were seized, though he was ultimately released without charges.
Alex Kenney, a civil liberties lawyer representing Bhandal, stated that adequate safeguards are necessary to prevent arbitrary application of anti-terrorism laws. She expressed hope that the settlement would prompt stricter adherence to statutory obligations under the Terrorism Act and influence police conduct going forward. Bhandal characterized his case as part of a broader pattern of authorities targeting activists, describing it as evidence of the increasing criminalization of protest activity.
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