Ismail Haniyeh's ex-bodyguard arrested for planning terror attack against European Jews - report
In 2015, he applied for asylum, and the British Home Office granted him permanent residency while Theresa May served as UK Home Secretary. He was later granted British citizenship.
Ismail Haniyeh's former bodyguard, referred to as "Mr. X" for legal reasons, has been arrested in London on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack against Jewish communities and Israelis in Europe, according to the Sunday Times. The arrest came around the second anniversary of the October 7 massacre. Mr. X, who received asylum and British citizenship in 2015, served in Haniyeh's personal security detail in Gaza before moving to Britain over a decade ago.
Known for his cover as an IT consultant, he lived an ordinary life in England, changing his legal name multiple times.
Mr. X faces extradition to Germany, where he is accused of being a key figure in a plot to attack Jewish community centers, Israeli diplomats, and pro-Israel demonstrations in Germany or Austria. The plot allegedly involved transporting firearms, ammunition, and camouflage gear from Berlin to Vienna. A video recorded by Mr. X, filmed in advance, depicts him in a masked position armed with a Hamas flag, describing the attack as retaliation for the Izzadin al-Qassam Brigades.
He was apprehended by British National Crime Agency officers in central London in November following intelligence gathered by Israel's Mossad and German authorities.
The indictment, first reported by German newspaper Bild, describes Mr. X as a "vital figure" in the alleged plot. He was granted permanent residency in the UK in 2015 by the Home Office under Theresa May. A judge initially ordered a publication ban on his name, which was later amended to allow his name to be published after the conclusion of the ongoing criminal proceedings.
German security officials have warned that Mr. X's ability to travel freely across Europe using his British passport indicates a concerning shift in Hamas's tactics as the organization seeks to expand its reach of terrorist activities beyond the Middle East into Europe.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
