Nicholas Roberts

**Nicholas Roberts** was a terrorist and member of the far-right organisation The Crusaders.

## Background

### Personal

Roberts had an extensive criminal record, and served time in HMP Ashcombe with Andy Phelan, who described him later to the Metropolitan Police as a "paranoid psycho". He held far-right racist, homophobic and Islamophobic beliefs.

### Professional

Roberts was a member of the far-right political organisation English Flag until it was taken over by Agatha Jack, who made changes to get the movement accepted into the political mainstream. Roberts and several other hardliners who disagreed with Jack's approach formed a terrorist splinter group known as The Crusaders.

## Series 1

### Episode 3

CCTV footage shows Roberts entering the Amburiq Mosque earlier in the day of the attack with a blue plastic bag in his hand, indicating it was him who planted the bomb and restrained Ali Hussein in the room behind it.

Detectives in Counter Terrorism Command reveal he is a former member of English Flag who split from the organisation when it entered the mainstream under Agatha Jack. Investigations also reveal he was cellmates with Andy Phelan in HMP Ashcombe, but the two were on hostile terms after Roberts accused Phelan of being an informant whilst in prison. This is taken as the motive behind trying to frame Phelan for the first terror attack on the Westhaven Estate.

During a critical incident outside The Five Oaks pub, where a further bomb has been planted in an Elsom Brewery van, Roberts and another member of the cell are positioned in a block of flats opposite. When assistant explosives officer PC Danny tries to use a robot to disarm the device in the van, it is shot at by Robert's colleague with a sniper rifle. EXPO Lana Washington is able to conceal herself from the snipers view by setting off smoke grenades and disarm the device, meaning that Specialist Firearms Command officers led by Insp. Lee Robins can move on to the block of flats.

Robins instructs CTSFO PC's Simon Randall and Carney to make their way to the top of the building and neutralise the sniper, whilst he and several others wait outside a lift on the bottom floor. Taking up defensive positions, the doors open and the officers are greeted by Roberts, who is wearing a Crusaders bandanna and a suicide vest. Robins and another officer open fire, striking Roberts in the head twice and killing him instantly. The explosives vest is later disarmed by Washington. Unfortunately, Roberts colleague is able to escape from the scene dressed as a police officer, after he overpowers and kills CTSFO Simon Randall by slitting his throat.

### Episode 4

DI Samira Desai reveals that an autopsy of Roberts confirmed that he was in the late stages of advanced prostate cancer, which serves as an explanation of why he was willing to be a suicide bomber. CCTV footage later shows that Roberts was one of the members of The Crusaders who was grooming Billy Washington. This was due to the fact Billy had no criminal record and thus could be used by the group as a "cleanskin" to inadvertently help them with their actions without attracting police attention.

### Episode 5

Roberts is mentioned again when the Metropolitan Police uncover another member of The Crusaders, former army reservist Frank Welsh. It is said by DI Samira Desai that the two attended the same rehabilitation centre in 2019 where they presumably became allied to the same cause.