A new compensation scheme has been launched by the government to help British victims of overseas terrorism.
It is now possible for a person who has suffered at the hands of a terrorist act in a foreign country to claim compensation from the British Government, providing they have been a resident in the country for three years, and the attack happened after 2002.
The new scheme will apply to the 2002 Bali bombings, the 2005 Sharm el Sheikh tourist attacks in Egypt, and the 2008 Mumbai attack in India. These were the incidents chosen as examples by Foreign Secretary William Hague.
Other incidents where compensation can be claimed are for the Kusadasi bombings in Turkey of 2005, Dahab bombings in Egypt of 2006, and the Marmaris bomb attacks in Turkey in 2006.
Justice Minister Crispin Blunt wrote in a statement: “The aim of the ex gratia scheme is to demonstrate solidarity with those in our community who have been affected by terrorist incidents overseas, taking into account the nature of terrorist attacks as a political statement and attack on our society.”
The statement continues to say the new compensation scheme is eligible to people who were a British, EU, or EEA resident prior to the attack, and they “continue to have an ongoing disability as a direct result of the injuries they sustained.”
Victims of domestic terrorist attacks on British soil can already receive compensation under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme.
