‘Idiot’ Hamas supporter threatened Sir Keir Starmer on social media, court told

December 19, 2024 Article

A self-styled “keyboard warrior” who threatened Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with a knife emoji on social media after the October 7 Hamas atrocity has appeared at the Old Bailey to be sentenced.

Accountant Mohammed Nafees Ahmed, 32, dedicated his X account to Gaza and Israel after the terrorist attack on Israel last autumn, the Old Bailey heard.

On Thursday, the defendant, from Tipton in the West Midlands, appeared at the court to be sentenced after pleading guilty to eight charges of supporting a proscribed terrorism organisation.

Opening the facts, prosecutor Peter Ratliff said the charges related to a five-month period when Nafees Ahmed posted messages of an “antisemitic, violent and threatening nature”.

At the time, the defendant had 19 followers but his account was open for anyone on the X platform to view, he said.

Last October 8, then-foreign secretary James Cleverly condemned the Hamas attack.

In a response viewed 22 times, the defendant stated: “Your fool, long live Palestine long live hamas (sic)”.

Last October 11, Nafees Ahmed posted a message seen 15 times stating: “Wipe them off the map. Death to Israel and America.”

He rejected as “lies fake news” an Israeli report that terrorists had gone from house to house murdering entire families.

Other statements included “Long live Hamas, long live Palestine” and a call to “eradicate every Zionist”, the court heard.

Last November 13, then-home secretary Suella Braverman complained about the then-prime minister’s failure to address antisemitism and extremism on the streets of the UK following the October 7 atrocities.

In a post seen 13 times, the defendant replied: “You still alive you witch.”

Last November 29, he reacted to a post by US president Joe Biden by writing “Parish Juda”, meaning death to Jews.

In another offensive post, he called deputy president Kamala Harris a “crackhead cocnut (sic)”, the court was told.

Last December 8, he went on to address Labour leader Sir Keir, saying: “You Zionist, your time will come (knife icon).”

He taunted the Metropolitan Police to “come and arrest me”, describing the force as “a bunch of clowns”.

On January 12, he replied to a post by broadcaster Piers Morgan with offensive swear words and telling him: “If your 3ver s3en in London 1m (knife emoji) str8 in your throat (sic).”

Following his arrest on March 20, the defendant initially made no comment before accepting a device was his and providing the access code.

Mr Ratliff said the defendant had claimed he acted after being “distressed” by images of children killed in Gaza, when at the time he began offending it was Hamas that was killing children.

He went on: “Having regard to his use of a knife icons threatening politicians, a Jewish religious leader and broadcaster in the context of advocating attacks on Israel it is open to conclude the defendant has terrorist motivations.”

The defendant, who has no previous convictions, was charged with supporting a proscribed organisation on September 16.

On October 2, Nafees Ahmed pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court to eight charges of expressing support for a proscribed organisation between October 2023 and March 2024.

In mitigation, David Martin-Sperry said the defendant acknowledged his actions were “misguided and ill thought out”, describing himself as an “idiot”.

The married father had worked as an accountant during the week and a pharmacy delivery driver at weekends, the court was told.

Mr Martin-Sperry said Nafees Ahmed’s “complete lapse of judgment” came about as a result of seeing images of injured children and he knew little about the organisation he was purporting to support.

The defence lawyer said: “He emphasises he does not see himself as being in any way antisemitic. That is his view when asked about it. He was perfectly clear. He took the position he did on seeing photos and articles presenting injuries to children.

“He has no connections with the part of the Middle East which has been so torn recently.”

On the defendant identifying himself as a “keyboard warrior”, the barrister said he was “in no sense a warrior against anybody on any score” and had been a “good person”.

Mr Martin-Sperry added: “He has contemplated his whole future during the last nine months since his arrest. The real and enduring despair his own actions have caused him cannot be under-estimated.”

It was a “wholly exceptional case”, the lawyer asserted: “He was not brought up to support one side or another in the Palestine conflict.

“He came to it entirely as a result of the postings that he saw relating to children that simply had an effect on him and caused him to stop thinking.

“He is deeply ashamed of his act of idiocy.”

Judge Nigel Lickley will sentence Nafees Ahmed from 2pm.

The post ‘Idiot’ Hamas supporter threatened Sir Keir Starmer on social media, court told appeared first on Faith Matters.

Categories: courts, Hamas, Nafees Ahmed, News, Palestine, Sir Keir Starmer, Tipton

Why is HTS banned in the UK and will this change now it has control in Syria?

December 9, 2024 Article

Rebel groups ousted Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria on Sunday after 13 years of civil war.

The UK Government now faces having to decide whether to lift a ban it placed on Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) after it swept to power if it needs to hold talks with the country’s new leaders.

– What is HTS and why is the group banned in the UK?

The Islamist militant group was set up under a different name, Jabhat al-Nusra, in 2011 as a direct affiliate of al Qaida, with so-called Islamic State (IS) leaders also reportedly involved in its formation.

The group has been regarded as one of the most effective and deadly of the groups ranged against President Assad.

HTS is banned in the UK because of its past association with al Qaida, the terrorist organisation once led by Osama bin Laden.

The group was added to the Home Office’s list of proscribed terrorist organisations in 2017, with the department saying HTS “should be treated as alternative names for the organisation which is already proscribed under the name al Qaida”.

But its leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani is said to have cut ties with al Qaida years ago and has sought to present his group as a more moderate and inclusive organisation. Although some still have doubts over whether HTS has completely renounced its links with al Qaida.

– What does it mean when a group is proscribed?

When the Government considers a group should be banned as a terrorist organisation, it puts an order before Parliament for a vote which would make joining or interacting with the group illegal under terror laws.

Under the Terrorism Act 2000, the Home Secretary may proscribe an organisation if they believe it is concerned in terrorism – which could mean it plans, encourages, participates or commits acts of terrorism – and the ban would be “proportionate”.

Around 80 groups are proscribed in the UK.

Home Office guidance issued earlier this year said proscription means “belonging to, inviting support for and displaying articles in a public place in a way that arouses suspicion of membership or support for the group” will be a criminal offence.

Under terror laws, it is an offence to “arrange or manage” a meeting “in the knowledge that it is to support a proscribed organisation, to further the activities of a proscribed organisation, or is to be addressed by a person who belongs or professes to belong to a proscribed organisation” – which could make it difficult for the Government to hold talks with the new leadership in Syria if the ban remains in place.

Criminals convicted of proscription offences could face up to 14 years behind bars or be fined, according to the department, while resources of a proscribed organisation are considered “terrorist property” and could be seized.

– Can proscription of a group be removed?

Yes, but Home Office guidance states the Home Secretary will consider what is known as deproscription on “application only”.

Under terror laws, the organisation or anyone affected by the proscription “can submit a signed, written application to the Home Secretary requesting that they consider whether a specified organisation should be removed from the list of proscribed organisations”.

The application must set out the grounds on which the claim is made, with the Home Secretary being required to make a decision within 90 days from the day after it is received.

Applicants can appeal against the decision if deproscription is rejected by going to the Proscribed Organisations Appeals Commission (POAC) and then take their case to the Court of Appeal if that request also fails.

The organisation will be removed from the list of proscribed groups if deproscription is successful but in some cases where this is as a result of an appeal it would need to be agreed by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

It is unclear whether the Home Secretary can also move to lift a ban without receiving an application.

– Will HTS be removed from the UK’s proscribed terror groups list now it has gained control in Syria?

At the moment we do not know.

Cabinet minister Pat McFadden suggested a decision on lifting the ban could be made quickly if there was a need to hold talks with HTS.

But so far the Home Office has not confirmed whether the matter is being reviewed and – if it is being reconsidered – when a decision on if ministers will announce they are removing the proscription rules will be made.

Former head of MI6 Sir John Sawers told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips it would be “rather ridiculous” if the UK was unable to engage with new leadership in Syria because of proscription of HTS dating back 12 years.

“I think the Home Secretary will be asking MI5 and the joint terrorism assessment centre for a review of the situation about Tahrir al-Sham and whether it should remain on the proscribed entity list,” he added.

Downing Street said on Monday that the Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations “under regular review”.

It is “long-standing policy that we do not engage with proscribed organisations” but it is an “evolving situation”, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman added.

The post Why is HTS banned in the UK and will this change now it has control in Syria? appeared first on Faith Matters.

Categories: HTS, News, Proscribed, Proscription, Syria, Syrian rebels, UK Government

Why is HTS banned in the UK and will this change now it has control in Syria?

December 9, 2024 Article

Rebel groups ousted Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria on Sunday after 13 years of civil war.

The UK Government now faces having to decide whether to lift a ban it placed on Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) after it swept to power if it needs to hold talks with the country’s new leaders.

– What is HTS and why is the group banned in the UK?

The Islamist militant group was set up under a different name, Jabhat al-Nusra, in 2011 as a direct affiliate of al Qaida, with so-called Islamic State (IS) leaders also reportedly involved in its formation.

The group has been regarded as one of the most effective and deadly of the groups ranged against President Assad.

HTS is banned in the UK because of its past association with al Qaida, the terrorist organisation once led by Osama bin Laden.

The group was added to the Home Office’s list of proscribed terrorist organisations in 2017, with the department saying HTS “should be treated as alternative names for the organisation which is already proscribed under the name al Qaida”.

But its leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani is said to have cut ties with al Qaida years ago and has sought to present his group as a more moderate and inclusive organisation. Although some still have doubts over whether HTS has completely renounced its links with al Qaida.

– What does it mean when a group is proscribed?

When the Government considers a group should be banned as a terrorist organisation, it puts an order before Parliament for a vote which would make joining or interacting with the group illegal under terror laws.

Under the Terrorism Act 2000, the Home Secretary may proscribe an organisation if they believe it is concerned in terrorism – which could mean it plans, encourages, participates or commits acts of terrorism – and the ban would be “proportionate”.

Around 80 groups are proscribed in the UK.

Home Office guidance issued earlier this year said proscription means “belonging to, inviting support for and displaying articles in a public place in a way that arouses suspicion of membership or support for the group” will be a criminal offence.

Under terror laws, it is an offence to “arrange or manage” a meeting “in the knowledge that it is to support a proscribed organisation, to further the activities of a proscribed organisation, or is to be addressed by a person who belongs or professes to belong to a proscribed organisation” – which could make it difficult for the Government to hold talks with the new leadership in Syria if the ban remains in place.

Criminals convicted of proscription offences could face up to 14 years behind bars or be fined, according to the department, while resources of a proscribed organisation are considered “terrorist property” and could be seized.

– Can proscription of a group be removed?

Yes, but Home Office guidance states the Home Secretary will consider what is known as deproscription on “application only”.

Under terror laws, the organisation or anyone affected by the proscription “can submit a signed, written application to the Home Secretary requesting that they consider whether a specified organisation should be removed from the list of proscribed organisations”.

The application must set out the grounds on which the claim is made, with the Home Secretary being required to make a decision within 90 days from the day after it is received.

Applicants can appeal against the decision if deproscription is rejected by going to the Proscribed Organisations Appeals Commission (POAC) and then take their case to the Court of Appeal if that request also fails.

The organisation will be removed from the list of proscribed groups if deproscription is successful but in some cases where this is as a result of an appeal it would need to be agreed by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

It is unclear whether the Home Secretary can also move to lift a ban without receiving an application.

– Will HTS be removed from the UK’s proscribed terror groups list now it has gained control in Syria?

At the moment we do not know.

Cabinet minister Pat McFadden suggested a decision on lifting the ban could be made quickly if there was a need to hold talks with HTS.

But so far the Home Office has not confirmed whether the matter is being reviewed and – if it is being reconsidered – when a decision on if ministers will announce they are removing the proscription rules will be made.

Former head of MI6 Sir John Sawers told Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips it would be “rather ridiculous” if the UK was unable to engage with new leadership in Syria because of proscription of HTS dating back 12 years.

“I think the Home Secretary will be asking MI5 and the joint terrorism assessment centre for a review of the situation about Tahrir al-Sham and whether it should remain on the proscribed entity list,” he added.

Downing Street said on Monday that the Government keeps the list of proscribed organisations “under regular review”.

It is “long-standing policy that we do not engage with proscribed organisations” but it is an “evolving situation”, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman added.

The post Why is HTS banned in the UK and will this change now it has control in Syria? appeared first on Faith Matters.

Categories: HTS, News, Proscribed, Proscription, Syria, Syrian rebels, UK Government

Extremist Group Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan’s Flag Raised in U.K. University

December 4, 2024 Article

We have been documenting the rising influence of the violent extremist group, Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), in the United Kingdom and in Europe. The work of Faith Matters on highlighting the pernicious and extremist basis of this group can be found here, here and here.

In a recent tweet made on the 2nd of December 2024, the flag of the extremist group was raised at a graduation ceremony in the London Metropolitan University.

The tweet can be found HERE.

What is clear is that the individual in the tweet hoisted the TLP flag in a London University, which should have alarmed officers at the institution. At the very least, safeguarding officers at the University should have identified the flag, which was waived at the graduation ceremony and hauled in the student and referred the matter to Prevent and the counter-extremism programme of the Government.

TLP is a violent Islamist extremist group that has been used as a motivating factor in the murder of people in the U.K and attempted murder of people in France, deemed to be heretics or against Islam. It has also targeted minority groups in Pakistan such as Christians and Ahmadis.

Faith Matters has been speaking on this issue since 2017, and has raised this matter repeatedly with senior civil servants in successive British Governments. Very little has been done on this and surely, now is the time to realise that such violent extremist groups could take hold in our institutions.

Now is the time to act for the safety of U.K nationals and in the defence of our democratic values. Failure to do so verges on the criminally negligent.

Read More: Inspired by blasphemy killer, new Pakistani party eyes 2018 vote

The post Extremist Group Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan’s Flag Raised in U.K. University appeared first on Faith Matters.

Categories: counter-extremism, Islamist, London Metropolitan University, News, Prevent, Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan, TLP