'˜No ISIS leaflets dropped around Bognor', police say

This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.

Police have denied that pro-ISIS material is being distributed around the Bognor Regis area.

Last week’s front page, under the headline ‘Shock as ‘extremist’ leaflets are handed out’ the Observer reported on a councillor telling a meeting that propaganda leaflets for the terrorist group had been handed out at an Indian restaurant in the district.

Responding, Sussex Police chief inspector Justin Burtenshaw said: “We have no record of ever receiving the leaflets referred to last week in a local media report.

“From talking to the people who raised this issue, we have now established that one may have been seen in the area about ten years ago, and apparently another may have been seen during a visit one of the people concerned made to Coventry in January this year.

“There have been no recent incidents of extremist leaflets being distributed in Arun and there is clearly no evidence of Bognor being an ISIS recruitment hub of any kind.”

As reported, cllr Barbara Piedo told fellow Felpham Parish Council members that at a recent Arun District Council ‘Prevent’ seminar, two men present claimed they had been handed pro-ISIS leaflets at Indian restaurants.

She said: “We were all a bit shocked by that. The men said they had sent the leaflets to the police.”