Terrorism expert attacked on the street, is now 'scared for his life'

A terrorism expert, Noor Dahri, who is the director of the Islamic Theology of Counter Terrorism (ITCT), is worried following an attack in Leicestershire in which he was sprayed by a chemical.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Leicestershire, England. (photo credit: FLICKR)
Leicestershire, England.
(photo credit: FLICKR)
A terrorism expert, Noor Dahri, who is the director of the Islamic Theology of Counter Terrorism (ITCT), is worried following an attack in Leicestershire in which he was sprayed with a chemical in his face and beaten with sticks on the street. Responding to the incident, Dahri said that he is now "scared for his life."
Leicestershire Police, which is investigating the attack on Dahri, said a 15-year-old boy has been arrested, but later released.
Dahri, who also works as a driving instructor and was waiting for a student at the time, suffered minor injuries from the attack.
"They just came up to me and sprayed the chemical in my eye and it was burning," Dahri said. "They both started beating me, swearing and shouting. I had a very heavy pain in my eyes and I was asking, 'Why are you beating me?', 'What's the reason?'. They kicked me on the floor and that's when I realized I had to get away. I was trying to save myself."
Dahri said he ran onto another road in the midst of the attack where members of the public called emergency services. He added that the attackers also damaged his car and smashed its windows.
The ITCT think tank, where Dahri works, describes itself as an organization dedicated to changing how terrorism is researched. Some of its advisors have included a former director of Interpol and a superintendent of Northern Ireland.
Dahri has also written for The Jerusalem Post.
Dahri noted that the attack may have been "racial, it could be pre-planned, it could be to do with the counter-terrorism work I do, but I don't know. I'm highly present on social media and writing books and articles on the subject so it could be that, but right now my life comes first," he said. "I'm very scared and depressed. My family is very scared."
Police confirmed they were investigating the assault. A spokeswoman from the police said that the chemical used "has been confirmed as not being acid-based" and their inquiries continue.


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