‘Vulnerable’ terror suspect, 16, was investigated by MI5 until she ‘ended life’

A vulnerable teenage girl who is believed to have taken her own life after terror charges against her were dropped had been investigated by MI5 until her death, an inquest heard.

The hearing was told MI5 had ‘no indication’ prior to the death of Rhianan Rudd, who died at the age of 16, that she had intended to end her own life.

She was investigated from October 2020 after threatening to blow up a synagogue, but her criminal charges were dropped five months before she died after it emerged she had been groomed and exploited by a neo-Nazi.

The inquest heard Rhianan, who had autism, was found with a ligature around her neck at Bluebell House Residential Home in Nottinghamshire in May 2022. She had been in the care of the local authority.

An MI5 officer, referred to as Witness A in the inquest, gave evidence to Chesterfield Coroner’s Court today, and confirmed Rhianan remained a subject of interest (SOI) under MI5 investigation until her death, despite her prosecution being discontinued months earlier.

‘It’s our duty to look at ongoing risks… The decision made by counter-terrorism policing to arrest Rhianan focused on managing that threat as well as preserving evidence and other issues,’ he said.

Chief coroner Judge Alexia Durran heard that it was a ‘well-known fact’ to MI5 that Rhianan self-harmed during the period she was being investigated.

The MI5 officer added: ‘From the outset, MI5 considered Rhianan to be a vulnerable young person. She appeared to have a violent right-wing extremist mindset, she showed some intent as a result of being radicalised online. Investigating her was the only way of understanding the threat she might pose to national security.’

MI5 contacted the FBI in December 2020, which provided all known communication between Rhianan and a far-right extremist from America who groomed her, the court heard.

The inquest heard MI5 was told that the man had a ‘personal relationship’ with Rhianan, communicated with her on WhatsApp, including sending links to ‘racially motivated, violent extremist books’ and considered her, then aged 14, as his girlfriend.

Witness A added: ‘It is entirely possible for someone to be a victim of a whole range of factors… someone being a victim does not mean they can also not be a perpetrator.’

A month before Rhianan’s death, police told MI5 she had recently started speaking with a German accent and dressed in camouflage on Adolf Hitler’s birthday.

He added: ‘None of us joined MI5 to investigate children. It does not sit comfortably with any of us. It’s becoming a necessary requirement.

‘It’s not something that’s comfortable as the numbers grow – it’s something our staff feel is an added challenge to the job.’

Rhianan’s mother, Emily Carter, had referred her daughter to the deradicalisation scheme Prevent in September 2020 before she was arrested based on a concern she had a ‘massive dislike’ for certain races and ethnicities.

The inquest heard that Rhianan could not be ‘supported simultaneously by Prevent’ while under police investigation.

Witness A told the inquest: ‘It was well understood there were complexities and therefore it would be very rare for there to be a police investigation going on, under what we call ‘Pursue’, at the same time as running Prevent. The policy at the time was that it could not happen.’

The court heard that another MI5 officer decided that Rhianan should not be an exception to that rule.

The inquest continues.

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