Paul Nuttall calls for internment of terror suspects and waterboarding to save British lives in wake of Manchester terror attack
Ukip leader says he ‘wouldn't take anything off the table’ when it came to dealing with the threat of violent extremism
PAUL Nuttall is calling for the internment of terror suspects and allowing the use of waterboarding to save British lives in the wake of Manchester terror attack.
The Ukip leader says he “wouldn't take anything off the table” when it came to dealing with the threat of violent extremism.
In an interview with the BBC to be broadcast this evening, he said: "When you read this morning there's a suspected 23,000 jihadis living amongst us, obviously MI5 are stretched to capacity at this present moment in time.
"I think we've got to look at ways of ensuring that our people are safe, whether that is a return to control orders, whether that is tagging these people, who knows in the future maybe a return to internment."
The policy of internment was adopted by the government in Northern Ireland in the 1970s, when it was widely adjudged to have acted as a recruiting sergeant for the IRA.
Mr Nuttall told The Andrew Neil Interviews while he was not advocating an immediate return to detention without trial, it should not be ruled out for the future given the scale of the terrorist threat.
He said: "If you consider that it costs roundly a million pounds year to have 24/7 surveillance on these people, we're talking a vast amount of money.
"I'm not saying now is the time to return to this, but I wouldn't rule it out," he said.
"I wouldn't take anything off the table in the future because, as I say, unless we get a grip on this what happened in Manchester the other night, which is part of my constituency, could become commonplace.
"And that's the last thing we want to see."
Mr Nuttall reaffirmed his support for "hard measures", including waterboarding, in the interrogation of terrorist suspects if their use could stop an immediate attack.
He added: "If we were in the situation where there was going to be an immediate attack and people's lives were on the line, I want to see British families protected. I would put their lives over the human rights of any jihadi.”
It comes a day after he revealed as well as calling for the return of the death penalty for terrorists or child murderers. – Mr Nuttall said he would be willing to perform the executions himself.