Met settles claim brought by Palestine activist ‘treated like a criminal’ during arrest

The Metropolitan police has settled a legal claim by Tej Singh Bhandal, a 68-year-old pro-Palestinian activist arrested under anti-terrorism legislation at St Pancras International. The settlement closes the criminal investigation against him and highlights concerns about the use of counter-terrorism powers in relation to lawful political activism.

Bhandal said he was pulled from a queue after returning to the UK by Eurostar and arrested when he declined to provide his phone’s PIN. His lawyers said the Met accepted that supporting or funding lawful groups such as the BDS movement and Palestine Solidarity Campaign did not, by itself, establish a link to terrorism. Bhandal had also been questioned in 2025 over an incident linked to Palestine Action; he was released without further action.