Britain granted asylum and citizenship to a former bodyguard of slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh who then became involved in an alleged terrorist plot targeting Jews across Europe, according to an investigation published by The Times on 26 September.
The man, identified as ‘Mr X’ under a British court anonymity order, reportedly arrived in Britain in 2015 and was subsequently granted refugee status and citizenship. He is also believed to be the son of Basem Naim, a senior Hamas political official and former Gaza health minister.
Despite his background, he reportedly built a seemingly ordinary life in suburban England, working as an IT consultant. Under that guise, however, he allegedly coordinated preparations for antisemitic terrorist attacks on the continent. His activities eventually attracted the attention of European security services, leading to his arrest in London in November 2025 following an international investigation involving German and Israeli intelligence.
‘Seven other suspected Hamas operatives have already been charged in connection with the wider plot’
German federal prosecutors allege that he collected five pistols and ammunition during meetings in Berlin before transporting the weapons to Vienna, where they were stored for planned attacks against Jewish and Israeli institutions. He faces extradition to Germany, where seven other suspected Hamas operatives have already been charged in connection with the wider plot.
Reacting to the bombshell report, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch condemned the case and renewed calls for tougher citizenship and deportation rules. She warned that Britain’s laws, kindness and generosity were being exploited, reiterating her call to leave the European Convention on Human Rights to facilitate deportations and citizenship revocations.
Reform UK MP James McMurdock also questioned how the former Hamas bodyguard had successfully claimed asylum and obtained a British passport, directing his criticism at former Conservative minister Jacob Rees-Mogg. The man arrived in Britain under David Cameron’s Conservative administration, but it is not yet clear when he was naturalized.
Former Labour foreign policy adviser Ben Judah warned that the report confirmed his fears that the Home Office was allowing potential terrorists into Britain through carelessness, incompetence and denial, calling for a ‘real reckoning’.
The controversy has also drawn attention to the judicial restrictions surrounding the case. According to The Times, Mr X had been granted anonymity for 100 years before the newspaper successfully challenged the order, allowing his identity to be reported in due course.
The Home Office declined to comment on the case, citing national security considerations, highlighting the pressure already weighing on Andy Burnham’s Labour government, which is expected to review the suspect’s citizenship and investigate the circumstances of his naturalization. Whether British authorities knew about the suspect’s Hamas connections when they granted him citizenship also remains unknown.
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