Police raided a property today after an immigration centre was firebombed.
The suspect, who was found dead at a nearby petrol station to the Manston migrant-holding facility in Dover, has been identified as a 66-year-old man who lived nearly 120 miles away, police said.
The man is from the High Wycombe area as Kent Police say they are working with Thames Valley Police to execute a warrant on a property.
Yesterday a witness claimed a man threw petrol bombs at a new British immigration border force centre before killing himself, a witness has claimed.
The attacker, a white man in a shirt, drove up to Western Jet Foil in Dover in a white SEAT sports utility vehicle.
He threw three petrol bombs with fireworks attached, one of which did not go off, said a Reuters photographer who was present at the scene.
The petrol bombs exploded as flames erupted and the man drove away from the scene.
A local MP later said the individual had committed suicide.
Footage shared on social media had captured a fire at the processing centre and a nearby petrol station.
Orange flames and thick black smoke could be seen billowing outside the centre as a staff walked nearby.
Images of a white car said to belong to the attacker, have also been released.
It comes as people living in the English Channel port town are terrified to leave their homes after the attack.
One pension, who asked not to be named, blamed the incident on a lack of policing in the town.
She said: “I live right on top of the immigration centre. We have all the migrants coming up the beaches every day yet you never see a policeman.
“This happened due to a lack of policing and something has got to be done about it.”
The pensioner said she is among a number of residents who believe migrants are being prioritised over locals amid the cost-of-living crisis.
She added: “I’ve lived here all my life but they get more than I get.
“I told my children that when I want something from the government I’m going to go and stand down the port with them to get it.
“We knew something like this would happen and it’s bound to happen again.”
The only remains of Sunday’s attack are a charred fence and a blackened path, but police officers continue to patrol outside the migrant processing centre today.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is said to be informed about what is happened.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: "Certainly the Prime Minister is being kept up to date on the situation in Manston."
The Home Office is “working on additional accommodation”, the spokesman added.
A spokesperson for Kent Police said: "Kent Police officers investigating an incident at the immigration centre in Dover on Sunday 30 October 2022 are being assisted by colleagues from Thames Valley Police to carry out a warrant at a property in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, on Monday 31 October.
"Officers have confirmed that the suspect, found deceased at a nearby petrol station, is a 66-year-old man from the High Wycombe area."
The road leading up to the Home Office immigration centre has reopened following the incident.
The incident comes after Government figures showed that almost 1,000 migrants arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel on Saturday.
Nearly 40,000 have arrived in the UK so far this year after attempting the treacherous trip from France, crossing the world's busiest shipping lanes in dinghies and other small boats, provisional figures show.
It is the highest number of arrivals in one day for a number of weeks, with more crossings taking place on Sunday morning.
