Failed Asylum Seeker's Fake Dynamite Hoax Triggers Major MI5 Terror Alert
A major terror alert was sparked at MI5's headquarters in central London after a failed asylum seeker left a fake stick of dynamite outside the building. Julian Valente Pereira, a 32-year-old Brazilian national, staged the protest at Thames House, the secret service's base, just one day after being informed he would be deported from the United Kingdom.
Bizarre CCTV Footage Reveals Hoax Details
Surveillance footage from outside the building shows Pereira stuffing paperwork related to his immigration case through the locked doors of Thames House. He then drops the counterfeit explosive by the entrance steps, allowing the CCTV operator to zoom in and reveal what appeared to be a fuse protruding from the top of a brown cylinder.
Pereira is seen adjusting the object, propping it against the MI5 HQ doors and placing a green cigarette lighter nearby before walking away, leaving the fake device and documents at the entrance. This incident occurred on January 1, following the dismissal of his final asylum appeal by a judge on December 31, 2025.
Counter-Terrorism Response and Investigation
A counter-terrorism bomb expert rushed to the scene, where it was discovered that Pereira had crafted the fake dynamite using rolled-up A4 paper, brown masking tape, and string. Following a trial at City of London Magistrates' Court, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring found Pereira guilty of carrying out a bomb hoax, concluding he intended observers to believe the device was genuine.
Prosecutor Shannon Revel stated that Pereira admitted seeking "maximum attention" for his complaints against the Home Office after a prolonged, unsuccessful asylum bid. "No-one was going to pay attention to this act if they thought it was masking tape and paper," she said. "The attention he desperately wanted on January 1 is only achieved by the fact that someone believed that object could explode."
Background and Additional Incidents
Pereira entered the UK with work permission in July 2018 but remained illegally since February 2019. The court heard that he also visited Buckingham Palace, throwing a bag containing a copy of his immigration ruling and a knife stabbed through his ID inside the perimeter gates. In messages read during the trial, Pereira told a friend of his plans, writing, "I'm going to try and get attention."
In a phone note from August 2025, Pereira referenced "MI5 terrorising people inside hotels" and expressed a desire to "see the King." He also mentioned plans to "give information" to the Archbishop of Canterbury as a precaution. During evidence, Pereira insisted the device would not have been mistaken for an explosive but added, "The news inside was dynamite."
Mental Health and Legal Proceedings
Pereira was arrested at an asylum hotel in Uxbridge, west London, and told officers about his "long and tireless battle with the Home Office." He made allegations of Home Office "corruption," claimed illegal immigrants are employed by the department, and described those in the system as living in "squalor."
The court learned that Pereira handed himself in to police as an overstayer in October 2020 but later sought asylum after being told to leave the UK. He was placed in asylum seeker accommodation in June 2021, refused asylum in 2023, and had his appeal rejected on December 31, 2025. His paid accommodation was withdrawn on January 9.
In his police interview, Pereira disclosed he has schizophrenia and has been hearing voices. He denied the bomb hoax charge. Judge Goldspring requested reports on Pereira's mental health and reoffending risk, warning that he may face jail or be sent to the Crown Court for sentencing. Pereira has been remanded into custody until April 1.
