Brazilian Man Sentenced to 2.5 Years for Fake Device Left Outside MI5 Building

A 32-year-old Brazilian national received a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence for a bomb hoax outside MI5 headquarters. Julian Valente Pereira left a fake device at Thames House in Millbank on January 1, one day after his final appeal for asylum was dismissed. The incident occurred as a New Year's Day parade took place in London.

CCTV footage showed Pereira forcing immigration paperwork through the doors of the London building before throwing the fake dynamite, which he pulled from a bag he was carrying. The device was made from rolled-up A4 paper, brown masking tape and string. Police believed the device was a genuine explosive, Judge Mark Lucraft KC said during sentencing at the Old Bailey.

The judge added that resources were diverted from other things. The Metropolitan Police deploys around 3,000 to 3,300 dedicated officers on the streets the night before for the ticketed New Year's Eve fireworks display. A similar police presence remains active through New Year's Day to transition onto the parade route.

Pereira arrived in the UK in July 2018, nearly eight years after entering with a work permit. He was rejected for asylum in Britain and had been living in an asylum hotel in Uxbridge. Prosecutor Shannon Revel linked the stunt to the failed asylum bid.

"Pereira wanted to show maximum attention on his complaints against the Home Office," prosecutor Shannon Revel said. Pereira appeared in February at City of London Magistrates' Court, where he was found guilty of placing an article with the intention of inducing another to believe it would explode.

Judge Mark Lucraft KC said during sentencing at the Old Bailey that Pereira may well be deported from the UK.

Pereira has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, the court was told. GB News reported the details of the case and sentencing. Thames House, the MI5 building, is situated on the North Bank of the River Thames, next to Lambeth Bridge.

It was originally built in the late 1920s as offices for Imperial Chemical Industries. MI5 has occupied the entire building complex since 1994. The building is heavily fortified with blast-proof glass and vehicle barriers.

It features a protected dock inside for river access.