Met settles claim by pro-Palestine activist over terror arrest

The Metropolitan Police has settled a claim brought by a 68-year-old pro-Palestinian activist who said he was “treated like a criminal” when he was arrested under anti-terrorism legislation earlier this year. Tej Singh Bhandal was returning to the UK on Eurostar when he was pulled from a queue by police at St Pancras International. He was arrested under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 after refusing to give authorities the PIN code to his mobile phone.

Schedule 7 allows specified border officers to stop, search and question individuals within border areas without requiring reasonable suspicion. The activist, who spent several hours in police detention, brought a legal challenge over his arrest. The Met has now agreed to settle the claim and dropped the criminal investigation against him. Bhandal’s lawyers said Scotland Yard accepted that supporting and funding lawful political protest organisations – naming the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement and the Palestine Solidarity Campaign – does not automatically establish a link to terrorism.

Bhandal himself said he felt “vindicated”, describing his arrest as “incredibly humiliating” and “an abuse of power” by the police. He told the Press Association: “I was handcuffed and led through the station in full view of the public. I felt like the tabloid newspaper stereotype of a person of colour, and I was treated like a criminal.” Bhandal, who is involved with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, was previously arrested in 2025 as part of a police investigation into a Palestine Action-linked incident at the Elbit Systems factory in Bristol.

He was questioned by counter-terrorism police over four days, during which his house was searched and his devices seized, but he was released with no further action taken. The 68-year-old believes an “intelligence flag” was placed on his name after the incident, leading to his arrest at St Pancras. The Met’s decision to settle Bhandal’s claim came as more than two dozen protesters were arrested outside the Supreme Court on Wednesday morning while an appeal was being heard against the ban on Palestine Action.

Bhandal said people are being “singled out by the authorities for activism”. “The creeping criminalisation of protest action is a consequence of government policy,” he said. “My questioning and arrest were a massive waste of resources and time. My case must be an example: police overreach does have consequences and must end now.” Alex Kenney, a civil liberties lawyer at Hodge Jones & Allen, who acted for Bhandal, said “adequate safeguards” are essential to prevent the “arbitrary” use of anti-terrorism laws.

“Our hope is that Tej’s case leads to more stringent adherence to the statutory obligations under the Terrorism Act and changes how the police conduct themselves in future,” she said. The Met has been approached for comment.