Axe attack sparks review of counter-terror process

Counter-terrorism police have changed their processes after admitting the case of a neo-Nazi who attacked a Kurdish barber with an axe should have been dealt with differently.

Alina Burns, 19, was jailed on Friday for the terrorism-motivated attack in Bedminster, Bristol, on 2 August 2025.

Five months prior, a man on an online dating app had reported her threat to "kill all the Jews and Muslims in Britain", but the matter was sent back to local police, which Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) has now admitted was a mistake.

Det Supt Sarah Robbins from CTP South West said the force has since implemented "a new layer of supervision" to make sure cases like Burns are handled correctly.

Robbins said the man reported the "concerning comments" to Avon and Somerset Police in March 2025, and the force "rightly" referred the matter to her team.

But specialist officers determined that it "did not met the threshold for counter-terrorism intervention", and it was sent back to the local police force for action.

"We have reviewed our processes and having looked back at that case, we think we should have dealt with it differently," she said.

Robbins said the "new layer of supervision, assessment and review of cases" was intended to prevent something like this happening again.

It includes additional recording of the rationale behind referral decisions so that they can be scrutinised, she added.

CTP declined to provide further detail on what changes had been made to their processes.

Friday's sentencing hearing heard how Burns approached Mohammed Mahmoodi from behind in broad daylight outside the barber's shop where he worked, and swung the axe at his neck.

The 27-year-old was able to wrestle the weapon away from her before she could strike him again, and miraculously survived the attack with relatively minor injuries.

During sentencing at Bristol Crown Court on 15 May, Mahmoodi said a scar on his neck serves as a "daily reminder that I was nearly killed".

Burns was jailed for 19 years and six months for the terrorism-motivated attack.

Burns, who was brought up in Bridgwater in Somerset, was motivated by neo-Nazi extremism and had been in contact with far-right groups, the court was told.

Serena Gates KC, prosecuting, said on the day before the attack, she had been watching videos of SS marches and sent an email titled 'The Dawn of Civil War'.

Analysis of her devices also uncovered searches including "how to fight with an axe", "using darts as a weapon", and also tips on how to win a fight against a bigger person.

Detectives found notes at her home on how to use fertiliser to manufacture explosives and nuclear weapons, and a copy of Adolf Hitler's book 'Mein Kampf'.

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