Terrorism

Mountford Chambers has a long and substantial history of involvement in terrorism trials, and appeals: acting in IRA cases, the Israeli Embassy bombing, Lockerbie, the 21/7 attempted bombings of the London transport system, cases involving travel to Syria, and many cases of domestic extremism across the spectrum.

As this landscape has radically shifted and legislation has developed rapidly over recent years, Mountford Chambers has consistently been at the leading edge of this challenging area of work.

The late Richard Ferguson QC, and former Head of Chambers for more than twenty years, was perhaps the premier criminal advocate in this field for many years, acting in a wide range cases involving allegations of IRA terrorism, including for Patrick Magee, the ‘Brighton Bomber’ who blew up the Grand Hotel in an attempt to kill Margaret Thatcher, and in the successful appeal of the Birmingham Six.

Several of Chambers’ Silks and leading Juniors continue to maintain chambers’ profile and reputation in this practice area. Chambers’ recent work includes advising the youngest teenage girl charged with a terrorism offence, successfully opposing a forfeiture application in respect of a family home alleged to be used for ‘terrorist grooming’, acting for a secondary school teacher planning to travel to Syria, a former British Soldier who travelled to Syria to fight against Assad, and many domestic cases involving covert surveillance operations, including an ISIS inspired Christmas bomb plot and the SIM card terrorist who sent hundreds of SIM cards to IS fighters.