This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Muslim communities are “absolutely not reporting” suspected terrorists and need to “open up to society”, Donald Trump has said in his first UK interview since launching his bid for the US presidency.

Appearing on ITV’s Good Morning Britain (GMB), Trump said there was “very little assimilation” in cities where there had been a “large inflow” of Muslims, and denied that some British citizens were scared of the idea of him in the White House.

The frontrunner for the Republican nomination told the programme’s presenter, Piers Morgan, on Wednesday that residents of the Brussels neighbourhood Molenbeek had “coddled and taken care of” Paris terror suspect Salah Abdeslam before his arrest.

The billionaire, who was once described by Morgan as a friend he had known for 10 years, also pledged to “hit Isis so hard you wouldn’t believe it” if he became US president.

Discussing Muslim communities, Trump said: “When they see trouble they have to report it. They are not reporting it. They are absolutely not reporting it and that is a big problem.”

Trump complained about the failure to turn in Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, the married couple who went on to launch a deadly attack in San Bernardino, California, in December: “It’s like they are protecting each other but they are really doing very bad damage.

“They have to open up to society, they have to report the bad ones. And, you know, if you report the bad ones, all of a sudden you are not going to have the problems.”

Trump denied he was racist, telling the programme: “I’m not ‘anti’ anything; I’m just common sense, I say it like it is.

“I have great respect for Muslims, I have many friends that are Muslims. I am just saying there is something with a radicalised portion that is very, very bad and very dangerous.”

He said he was astounded at the failure of anyone to turn in Abdeslam, the chief surviving suspect in the Paris terror attacks who was ultimately found in his own neighbourhood after a four-month manhunt.

“There is something wrong, and we have to get to the bottom of it, when someone like who was just captured was really coddled and taken care of by people that live in the neighbourhood.

“Many people knew he was there yet he was the No 1 fugitive in the world. Everybody from that area knew he was there and nobody turned him in.”

Trump’s interview came as Brussels was still reeling after suspected Islamic extremists attacked the city’s airport and underground network, killing at least 31 people.

“I knew Brussels years ago,” he said. “I was there probably three or four times and it was so beautiful, so secure and so safe. Now it’s an armed camp. It’s like a different world, a different place, there is no assimilation.”

The tycoon-turned-politician provoked anger last year after he called for a “total and complete shutdown” of US borders to Muslims after the San Bernardino terrorist attack.

More than half a million people signed a petition calling for Trump to be banned from the UK after issuing the pledge. He also claimed that parts of London were “so radicalised” police were “afraid for their own lives”.

Trump rejected David Cameron’s claim that his call to ban Muslims risked aiding extremists by sowing division.



“All you have to do is look at the cities where there’s been a large inflow and something’s different,” he said.

“There is very little assimilation for whatever reason … they want to go by their own sets of laws.”

Turning to Islamic State, which on Tuesday appeared to claim responsibility for the attacks in Brussels, Trump said: “I would hit Isis so hard you wouldn’t believe it and I would get the people over there to put up their soldiers because it’s about time that somebody did it.

“But I would have such backup like you’ve never seen before in terms of air power, airstrikes, etc.”

A senior British counter-terrorism officer hit back at Trump’s remarks. Deputy assistant commissioner Neil Basu from the UK Counter Terrorism Policing Network said the comments risked playing into the hands of the terrorists by demonising the very people the police needed to help them.



“He is wrong,” he told the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “There is a generational problem here. Without a doubt we have to encourage more reporting from the Muslim community and from all communities, because unlike in some other places in the world we do have integrated communities and we have people living side by side.



“If we demonise one section of the community that is the worst thing we can do, we are absolutely playing into the terrorists’ hands of making people feel hate.”

Basu warned that the such comments could lead to a surge in hate crimes against Muslims.



“When events like this happen in Brussels and Paris very unfortunately we do see a spike in hate crime,” he said.



“We don’t want that to happen in our communities, we want people to feel safe and confident to come forward to the police and report what they have to report.”



Miqdaad Versi, assistant secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Britain said Trump’s claims were “just not true”.



He told Good Morning Britain: “What we have to recognise is when some of these statements are made that fuel this idea of bigotry and really fuel the thing that terrorists themselves want - that Muslims are apart from the West and cannot be seen as equal citizens - these things are not good for our society.”

The interview drew a mixed reaction on Twitter.

Martin Simpson (@martinsimpson3) @piersmorgan @GMB Disgusting interview you are clearly a good friend of Donald Trump you did everything but kiss his backside

Kelly Ann (@Xkellyannreilly) It's worrying to know that ITV have given Donald Trump airtime, usually enjoy watching it but this morning I'll stick to CBeebies @GMB

Debs (@debsdebsvaughan) @GMB Donald Trump does not speak for us, shame on you for giving him air time!!!! A new low GMB

But other viewers gave Trump their full support.

Charlotte Swift (@CharlieBrown358) Can say what you want about Donald Trump, but it's refreshing to see someone say what most of us are thinking! @piersmorgan @gmb

Wayne Wilson (@NewarkMan2014) @piersmorgan @GMB fantastic interview. The world needs people like Trump who are prepared to speak what they think!!!!

JIM (@emmajim1) . @realDonaldTrump mr trump on @piersmorgan @GMB is 100% correct, everything he said was right about the uk, I'd have him as prime-minister

Late on Tuesday, Piers Morgan posted a column on Mail Online in which he asked if the public should start listening to Trump when it comes to terror.

“I didn’t feel I was talking to a lunatic,” Morgan said.

