An asylum seeker being housed at a controversial accommodation centre is being investigated for alleged links to the Houthi rebel group after he reportedly shared images of himself holding weapons online.
The man, who is believed to be from Yemen but is now staying at the former Wethersfield airbase in Essex, has been reported to police by concerned locals.
It comes after a member of the public uncovered multiple images of daggers and guns on a Snapchat story linked to the asylum seeker accommodation centre.
Other photos that were shared on the platform appear to show the migrant posing with an AK47 assault rifle back in Yemen.
More recent images, however, show him inside the grounds of the Wethersfield site, which has previously been the target of anti-immigration protests.
The man also shared a screenshot of a conversation in Arabic on the account, where he appeared to set out his plans to cross the Channel from ‘Calais to Britain by boat’.
Essex Police told the Daily Mail that they had ‘visited an individual living in the Wethersfield area’ over the posts.
The Home Office also said they were ‘aware of this individual’ and that ‘appropriate action’ had been taken.
However, sources told us the asylum seeker is believed to still be being housed at the airbase, which has been used to accommodate migrants since 2023.
The man, who is believed to be from Yemen, has been reported to police by concerned locals. Pictured: One of the photos posted on Snapchat
One of the photos of a large knife which was allegedly shared on the man’s Snapchat
Essex Police told the Daily Mail that they had ‘visited an individual living in the Wethersfield area’ over the posts (pictured)
It has been alleged that the man has shown support for the Houthi rebel group in Yemen, which has attacked British-flagged vessels in the Red Sea.
The group is not a proscribed organisation in the UK but its members have been designated as terrorists by other countries such as the US.
Some of the photos on Snapchat have their location tagged as Sana’a – a city in Yemen which has been controlled by the Houthis since 2014.
Other images shared on the social media account include screenshots appearing to show Houthi rebel leaders on TV broadcasts in Yemen.
And in one image, the man appears to be holding a rifle on a look-out post in what is believed to be Houthi-controlled territory.
Nathan Robbins, the interim chair of Reform UK in nearby Braintree, told the Daily Mail: ‘One of our members came to us the other week saying they had reported this back in April to Essex Police but nothing was done.
‘He said he had been on Snapchat and happened to click on the base. It takes you to Snapchat Spotlight, which is like a public story.
‘That then alerted him to a guy who had been posting a clip of him in a field inside the base.
‘But if you clicked on the profile and looked on the history, you could scroll down and see that he is a sympathiser with the Houthis.
More recent images show the man inside the grounds of the Wethersfield site, which has previously been the target of anti-immigration protests
A photo of a large gun that was shared on a public Snapchat story
In one image, the man appears to be holding a rifle on a look-out post in what is believed to be Houthi-controlled territory
‘He also clearly has a fascination with deadly weapons, daggers, guns, all sorts of things.
‘We feel not enough is being done about this by the police.
‘This guy should have been deported before he even had the chance to land on British soil, giving what we know about him.’
He added: ‘We believe the guy is still in the base. The Home Office has not said whether he has been deported or not.’
Wethersfield, which is a former RAF base, has been at the centre of controversy since it opened under the Conservative government in 2023.
And earlier this year, Sir Keir Starmer announced an extra 445 asylum seekers would be housed at the site – bringing the total figure up to 1,245.
The base, which is located in former Home Secretary James Cleverley’s constituency, is one of just two mass accommodation sites in the UK.
Mr Cleverly told the Mail: ‘I was made aware of this information some time ago by a local resident who had reported this material to Wethersfield ARC, Essex Police, and the Home Office.
‘At the time I confirmed with the Home Office and Police that it was referred to PREVENT, assessed by Essex Police, and addressed appropriately.
The number of illegal immigrants at the Wethersfield Airbase (pictured) in Essex was set to balloon by more than 50 per cent
One of the images posted to Snapchat which has been flagged to police and the Home Office
‘The fact remains that the Wethersfield site must be shut as soon as possible.
‘Keir Starmer stated before the General Election that the Wethersfield site should close, but due to his government’s failure to stop the boats, the cap on numbers for the site that was set whilst I was Home Secretary has just been increased by 50 per cent.’
Villagers living near the site previously told how they do not feel safe at night due to the threat of anti-social behaviour by groups of men roaming the area.
Some, whose houses are situated nearest the base, have also complained about how their properties have now become unsellable.
Nick Godley, chairman of Wethersfield Parish Council, said earlier this year: ‘People are almost universally against it for the whole gamut of reasons.
‘[There’s] either the extreme right-wing fascists who want them pushed back in the sea, or the extreme left-wing liberals who’d like them to be put up in the Savoy, or something in between.
‘At the end of the day, they’re human beings, and it isn’t a good place to keep them – it’s in the middle of nowhere.
‘They are free to come and go, but there is nowhere to go.
‘There’s often a bit of trouble on the base, the occasional riot, a few demonstrations and a couple of suicide attempts, and off the base there have been one or two incidents, most of them pretty minor.
The former RAF base is located in former Home Secretary James Cleverley’s constituency
‘There was a relatively unpleasant one with a guy who bothered a couple of ladies and tried to interfere with their car.’
A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of this individual and have taken appropriate action.
‘We collect biometric data of all small boat arrivals and at the start of their asylum claim, which is then cross checked with immigration, security and criminality databases.’
A spokesperson for Essex Police said: ‘In May, we received a report relating to social media posts made by an individual living in the Wethersfield area.
‘Each of those posts were thoroughly assessed in May and, in liaison with the appropriate authorities, the individual was visited.
‘We continue to liaise with on-site staff to ensure the safety of our communities.’
