An asylum seeker who stabbed six people before being shot dead by police made more than 70 calls seeking help from the Home Office and other organisations.
Badreddin Abadlla Adam, 28, was one of hundreds of asylum seekers moved into hotels in Glasgow at the start of the coronavirus lockdown.
It is understood he had contacted the Home Office, the housing and social care provider Mears, and the charity Migrant Help 72 times about his health and accommodation in the period leading up to the attack in June 2020.
An internal Home Office evaluation, seen by the BBC, said his calls “should have acted as a warning”.
It also found Adam had complained to staff in the hotel and was in touch with the Home Office about an assisted voluntary return to his home country.
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The review is said to have made various recommendations, including developing a system to identify patterns of contact which may cause concern, and ensuring hotel staff are given “mental health awareness and de-escalation training”.
A spokesperson for the Home Office said “significant” changes have since been made.
On 26 June 2020, Adam stabbed six people in the Park Inn hotel in Glasgow, including three other asylum seekers, police constable David Whyte and two members of hotel staff.
Forensic officers at the scene in West George Street, Glasgow, where Adam was shot dead by armed officers
(Andrew Milligan/PA)
Refugees for Justice was among multiple organisations and charities at the time raising concerns after Mears, which was subcontracted by the Home Office, moved refugees from self-contained accommodation to hotels.
Its members have been campaigning for an independent public inquiry into the Park Inn incident since 2020.
The organisation’s director, Dylan Fotoohi, told the BBC the Home Office review was a “shameful cover-up attempt”.
He said: “Lessons have not been learned, there has been no meaningful investigation, the biased evaluation report by the Home Office has been kept hidden and they have now expanded the exact same practice that led to these tragedies in Glasgow to other cities in Scotland.
“This is utterly unacceptable.”
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Glasgow stabbings: Man shot by armed police as city centre shut down Emergency services in West George Street, Glasgow, as a serious incident closed roads in the city centre
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Glasgow stabbings: Man shot by armed police as city centre shut down Police confirmed the male suspect who was shot by armed officers has died
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Glasgow stabbings: Man shot by armed police as city centre shut down Four people were taken away from the scene in ambulances, according to one eyewitness
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Glasgow stabbings: Man shot by armed police as city centre shut down Police officers walk in through the main entrance of the Park Inn Hotel
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Glasgow stabbings: Man shot by armed police as city centre shut down The Scottish Police Federation have said an officer was stabbed during the major incident
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Glasgow stabbings: Man shot by armed police as city centre shut down Police and forensic officers at the scene
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Glasgow stabbings: Man shot by armed police as city centre shut down Emergency services at the scene in West George Street. Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon has described the incident as "truly dreadful". She added in a post on Twitter: "My thoughts are with everyone involved. I am being updated as the situation becomes clearer. "Please help the emergency services do their jobs by staying away from the area - and please don’t share unconfirmed information."
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Glasgow stabbings: Man shot by armed police as city centre shut down
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Glasgow stabbings: Man shot by armed police as city centre shut down Police officers stand by a screen erected at the scene
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Glasgow stabbings: Man shot by armed police as city centre shut down Police block off the road
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Glasgow stabbings: Man shot by armed police as city centre shut down
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A Home Office spokesperson said: “Due to the pandemic the Home Office had to use an unprecedented number of hotels for asylum seekers, including in Glasgow.
“The use of hotels is unacceptable and we are working hard to find appropriate accommodation for asylum seekers, but local authorities must do all they can to help house people permanently.
“Since this horrific incident we have undertaken a number of significant changes to keep asylum seekers safe, including how we, our contractors and charities spot vulnerable individuals and provide them with wraparound support and appropriate accommodation.
“The Home Office has completed the majority of recommendations in the review which found that hotels in Glasgow were of a good standard, clean and well-maintained.
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“Our New Plan for Immigration, which is going through Parliament now, will fix the broken asylum system, enabling us to grant protection to those entitled to it and to remove those with no right to be here more quickly.”
Additional reporting by Press Association