Ex-Britain First Leader Arrested in Probe Into HMO Attacks

Ashlea Simon, the former co-leader of the far-right Britain First party, has stated she was arrested as part of an investigation into attacks on houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) across the Greater Manchester region. Simon announced her detention at Manchester Airport via a post on X, stating she was returning from a family holiday.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed that a 37-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of "conspiracy to cause criminal damage." This arrest is connected to a series of incidents where HMOs and family homes were vandalized, and cars were targeted across Salford, Tameside, and Stockport.

In her social media post, Simon claimed she had not committed any crimes and believed her arrest was related to videos she had posted since July. In these videos, she identified several HMOs in her hometown of Walkden, Salford. She also mentioned in a recent video that her home had been "raided" by police while she was on holiday and that she was aware of an "arrest warrant."

Simon departed from Britain First two years ago and now leads a "pro-English" activism group. Her arrest occurred amid a large-scale investigation into approximately 50 vandalism incidents. Some attacks included a pig's head being left outside a home.

Earlier in the investigation, five men and a 13-year-old boy were arrested on suspicion of causing criminal damage and conspiracy to cause criminal damage. Ch Supt Marcus Noden stated that officers suspect vulnerable individuals are being exploited and paid to damage properties they believe are HMOs, with some of those exploited possibly being children. This remains a key line of inquiry for the police.