A convicted paedophile on the run from German authorities has been arrested at the Britannia Ashley Hotel in Hale, which has been housing asylum seekers since February 2023.
Izalden Alshaik Suleman, 32, was detained by National Crime Agency officers at the hotel on October 17th. He is wanted in Germany for a child sex offence and is now fighting extradition with the help of taxpayer-funded British lawyers.
Local MP Connor Rand told Altrincham Today he was "deeply concerned" by the incident and that he, Greater Manchester Police and Trafford Council had not been made aware of the arrest.
"While I am grateful to the NCA for their work to apprehend a clearly dangerous individual, I share the anger of residents that we were kept in the dark about such a serious incident," he said.
The arrest has raised fresh concerns about border security, with an investigation by The Sun revealing that hundreds of offenders wanted for serious crimes abroad are crossing the Channel to try to escape justice by claiming asylum in Britain.
The revelations come almost three years after the Ashley Hotel began accommodating asylum seekers in February 2023, a move that initially sparked significant local concern.
At the time, local MP Sir Graham Brady described the hotel as the "most obviously inappropriate location you could imagine" for housing asylum seekers.
Following intervention from Brady with then-Home Secretary Suella Braverman, assurances were given that at least 80% of residents would be families rather than single men.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: "It should never have been possible for anyone with serious convictions abroad to claim asylum here. This has now become a national emergency."
The Home Office said: "Mandatory security checks are an essential part of our border controls and are conducted on all small boat arrivals. Where criminals or threats are identified, we seek to remove them as soon as possible."
In October 2024, the Cresta Court hotel became the second hotel in Altrincham to close in order to house asylum seekers. Up to 300 migrants are still there.
This week, an MPs' report criticised the long-term use of hotels to house asylum seekers, concluding that they had proven "unpopular with local communities and largely unsuitable for accommodating asylum seekers".
Connor Rand, MP for Altrincham and Sale West, said: “I’m deeply concerned by this incident. Neither GMP, Trafford Council or myself were made aware of this arrest and the person in question was detained under a European Arrest Warrant.
“While I am grateful to the NCA for their work to apprehend a clearly dangerous individual, I share the anger of residents that we were kept in the dark about such a serious incident.
"Local police, politicians and residents should have been told about this arrest and why it had taken place. I will be contacting the NCA for an explanation.
“The individual who has been arrested should never have been allowed into the country. I understand they now face extradition, and I will be writing to the Home Office to request they are deported as soon as possible."
Rand added: “I remain committed to returning the Ashley Hotel and the Cresta Court to their normal use as soon as possible. I have pushed the Government on this issue repeatedly, both on the floor of the House of Commons and in meetings with Ministers. I have been promised that both hotels will be closed by this Government, and I will continue to hold the Home Office to account on its progress.”
We've reached out to Trafford Council for a comment.
Cllr Nathan Evans, leader of Trafford Conservatives, called the news "shocking" and "outrageous".
"We have been mocked by the Greens, Lib Dems, Labour and I even got a letter from the churches saying we were wrong to call these facilities inappropriate. These are the places we should not be housing these illegal migrants."
