‘There’s urgency to this, people. We have two dangerous, reckless killers walking free right now.

‘Another thing. As you know, it’s likely Chilton Park was the first of three planned attacks by the NRF, and that Pall Mall was the second. These attacks are intended to destabilise Britain and spread terror and mistrust between Muslims and non-Muslims. And just look at the papers and the crime reports – it is working. We don’t know what the third attack will be, but it could be soon.’

She walked to her seat as Bose stood up to take over. But she was barely listening, her thoughts still preoccupied with Abu Mujahid.

#

Twenty minutes later, Gabriel clicked on the link sent from the comms team, which opened up a video from Rise & Shine, a lightweight TV magazine programme. She instantly recognised the girl sat on the famous beige sofa as Zahra, the teenager from the Chilton Park staff canteen, the one who had asked if she would be safe, the one who reminded her of Isobel Harris. The host, a smiling Welsh woman with a gentle voice and a suspiciously unwrinkled forehead, was famous for her soft interviews, described by Ray once as the velvet hand in a velvet glove.

‘So, Zahra,’ oozed the host, ‘we can’t imagine what you’ve been through, and I know everyone watching just feels so much for you. We’ll go back to the tragedy of Chilton Park in a moment if you’re up for it, but on Saturday you were at the Pall Mall attack too, weren’t you? Were you okay?’

Zahra paused, her head tilted down as she seemed to summon the words. Then, with a confidence and clarity that surprised Gabriel, she gazed directly at her host and spoke.

‘Yes – I was okay. I was on the platform at Trafalgar Square, but we got away safely. I didn’t see anything, but obviously I’ve seen it on TV.’

‘I mean, you’ve been extraordinarily unlucky, to be involved in two of these attacks, one after another.’

Zahra nodded.

‘And what support have you had?’

‘That’s been good. I’ve got a police liaison officer who’s been brilliant. Really nice and she’s there all the time.’ Zahra paused. ‘But you know, that’s good, of course, but it still doesn’t help answer how they let this happen. Again.’

‘The police?’

‘Yep. How did they let that man do what he did to my family and all those people? And then how did the same people, this NRF, just walk into a hotel and do it again? Why didn’t the police stop them? Why are they not watching these people?’

‘You were on the platform with Ishmail Sherif, who many people feel is a controversial, divisive figure. He’s called for Muslims to stand up and fight, those are his words. Do you agree?’

Zahra shook her head. ‘No. Of course I don’t agree with everything he says – he’s one voice. I don’t like the language of fighting and violence, that’s not the way. But he’s right about the government – they are just doing nothing. They are so obsessed with Islamist terrorists they are missing the neo-Nazis. Is it going to happen again? I keep asking, are we safe?’