MANCHESTER — On 15 May, Shams Sadiq attended Ashton-under-Lyne police station to retrieve electronic devices confiscated during a prior arrest and was approached by two officers who offered him inducements to inform on the group Palestine Action, according to his account. The officers, whom Sadiq believes were from Operation Wildflower, asked to speak with him 'man to man' and said they knew he was 'fully involved' with Palestine Action but would not be charging him in relation to last year’s arrest.

During the meeting, Sadiq said the officers told him: 'We need your help. Look, there’s benefits in helping us.' When he asked whether those benefits included financial help or tax assistance, they replied: 'Oh, we can help with things like that.' One officer added: 'We’re not saying you can go out and commit a serious crime but we can turn a blind eye to certain things.' After Sadiq asked if they could remove his speeding tickets, the officers responded: 'We don’t care about speeding.'

Sadiq interpreted the request for 'help' as a demand to provide information on Palestine Action and said the officers suggested he could assist by identifying Muslims in his mosque with extreme views, citing his standing in the community. The officers also told him they would protect him and his family and gave him a number to text, saying they did not need an immediate decision.

Sadiq, who owns two cafes in Manchester and has been vocal in his support for Palestine, said he decided to go public about the offer to ensure his safety because he was not accepting it. He also stated: 'I feel like I need protection from the police rather than anything else. It’s scary that I’ve got this marker on my passport for doing nothing. If they’ve got something on me, then charge me.'

Sadiq’s disclosure follows a series of encounters with law enforcement. Four days before the police station meeting, he was questioned—but not arrested—for more than three hours at Manchester airport under schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act after returning from Morocco. Officers there asked about Palestine Action, Iran, his finances, and his mortgage, and later returned his devices during a meeting at a Starbucks in terminal 2, where they were 'really nice, apologetic, sorry you had to go through this,' according to Sadiq.

Simon Pook, a solicitor representing Sadiq, said: 'We’re unhappy that he was put in that position and offered inducements to work for the state.' Pook described Greater Manchester Police’s conduct as reminiscent of that of the British state during the Northern Ireland Troubles and questioned whether the airport stop was used unlawfully if its purpose was to offer an inducement. Greater Manchester Police said it was unable to comment.