The UK authorities' attitude to so-called incel identifiers, some of whom preach misogynistic hate and advocate violence against women, has been questioned after Thursday's multiple killings in Plymouth. 

But what are incels, and what do they believe? What are the UK's current laws around gun ownership and terrorism? And is the incel movement part of rising far-right terrorism?

What happened in Plymouth?

Jake Davison shot and killed six people in a six-minute spree in Keyham, a suburb of Plymouth, in the southwest of the UK. The 22-year-old shot his 51-year-old mother Maxine Davison before going into the street and killing Sophie Martyn, aged three, and her father Lee Martyn, aged 43. 

Davison then killed 59-year-old Stephen Washington and shot 66-year-old Kate Shepherd, who later died in hospital. Davison also shot at two other local residents before turning the gun, said by witnesses to have been a pump-action shotgun, on himself.

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Now, police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating why Davison had been given back his gun and shooting license, both of which had been confiscated in December after he was accused of assault. Devon and Cornwall Police returned both in July. 

"We will examine what police actions were taken and when, the rationale behind police decision-making, and whether relevant law, policy and procedures were followed concerning Mr Davison's possession of a shotgun,” said IOPC regional director David Ford, who will also examine whether police had information concerning Davison's mental health and whether it was "appropriately considered."

What are the UK's gun laws?

In England, Scotland and Wales, handguns were banned in most circumstances after the 1996 Dunblane massacre. Rifles, shotguns, muzzle-loading pistols and handguns now need a license issued by police forces. 

Those who request a license must demonstrate "good reason" such as wildlife management, pest control or sport. Beside being interviewed by specialist police, they must also provide two independent unrelated character witnesses, whom police will ask about the applicant's character and background. 

A note is placed on the applicant's medical record, to alert doctors to monitor possible mental health problems. Evidence of drug or alcohol abuse, domestic abuse or aggressive behavior can all lead to the license, which lasts five  years, being refused or revoked. 

Davison's license was indeed confiscated, but returned last month – despite worrying social-media evidence of his familiarity with the incel movement. 

What is an incel?

Incel is a portmanteau word for "involuntary celibates" – male members of online groups united in their self-described failure to have an active sex life. The concept dates back three decades, and some incels were initially drawn together by mutual sympathy and support.

However, the groups have become increasingly misogynistic and a haven for violent threats and fantasies. While some incels wallow in self-pity, others blame women for 'withholding' sex – and some advocate violence against women and their male partners. 

One of the biggest online forums has 13,000 active members and 200,000 'threads' of conversation. Experts who study the groups say that not every member advocates violence, but online anonymity gives vent to dark feelings – and, it seems, intentions.   

Was the killer part of the incel movement?

Davison's social media output includes several references to the incel movement. He discussed the ideology in an 11-minute YouTube video, in which he also said he no longer had "any willpower to do anything anymore." In the video, posted on July 28, Davison refered to difficulties meeting women and struggling to lose weight.

In other social media posts, Davison revealed that he'd "never had a GF [girlfriend]" or "kissed a girl."  Posting that incels are "essentially a race of outcasts, abused and forgotten by humanity" who deserve "a better place in society," Davison suggested sexual assaults were justified because "women don't need men no more." He also ranted about single mothers and his own mother, whom he called "vile, dysfunctional and chaotic."

Are incels far-right terrorists?

There is some overlap between incels and far-right groups, in their violent fantasies and terminology; while far-right followers discuss taking the "red pill" to see how the world is, incels discuss taking the "black pill." In each case, some are taking the violent forum talk into the real world. 

In 2014, University of California student Elliot Rodger killed six people before committing suicide; he had written a message bemoaning his inability to form a relationship with women and explicitly calling for misogynist violence.  

Since then, extreme incels have lauded Rodger as a hero. The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism at the Hague categorized the killings as misogynist terrorism and Canadian authorities have since labeled the incel movement a type of violent extremism.

However, UK court cases have yet to define it as a terrorist ideology. In 2020, Anwar Driouich of Middlesbrough was jailed for possession of bomb-making manuals and explosive ingredients; while key evidence included his group chat in an incel website about emulation Rodger, the prosecution did not claim misogyny as a prime motivation. 

The same year, Gabrielle Friel was convicted of possessing weapons for terrorist purpose, but while Friel admitted empathy for Rodger, the jury found the prosecution's case that he was motivated by incel ideology "not proven" – a Scottish legal acquittal frequently used when the jury feels not enough evidence has been presented.  

Increasingly, reports of potential violent extremism cross between various ideologies. As assistant commissioner Neil Basu, the UK's head of counter-terrorism policing, told a parliamentary committee: "We don't know whether it is Islamist, or right-wing, or left-wing extremism or incel… they are just interested in violence."

What are the UK's terrorism laws?

The UK's Terrorism Act 2000 defines terrorism, in part, as the use or threat of violence "to intimidate the public or a section of the public" to advance "a political, religious, racial or ideological cause."

The wording is deliberately flexible to accommodate changing threats. Indeed, Jonathan Hall, the UK's current Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, decreed in March that the law's definition was already broad enough to prosecute incel violence, but that not all incel-inspired violence could be considered terrorism. 

Peter Fahy, a former policing lead on the prevention of terrorism, suggests that authorities are already reassessing targets. 

"The real concern of the authorities is around right-wing terrorism, it's some of this real extreme ideology, particularly coming across from America and particularly this developing theme around hatred for women," Fahy told BBC Radio. "The efforts of counter-terrorism may have to be partially redirected."

Speaking after the Davison spree, Hall suggested that authorities will focus more on incels if there are more attacks. "​“The question is really whether or not the authorities want to treat the incel phenomenon as a terrorist risk," he said. "That would involve diverting resources or putting resources into it. 

"If we see more of these sorts of attacks, then I have got no doubt that it will be treated more seriously as terrorism."