Two London men charged with attending terrorist training camp

Both men are alleged to have been trained at Birket Jabbour airbase

Two London men have been charged with attending a terrorism training camp in Lebanon as well as being members of terrorist organisation Hezbollah.

Annis Makki, 40, of Willesden, North West London, and Mohamad Hadi Kassir, 33, of Paddington, West London, were both charged with attending the training camp in Birket Jabbour airbase in September 2021 and belonging to a proscribed organisation.

Makki has also been charged with being involved in the preparation of terrorist acts, contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006.

In total, the Crown Prosecution Service has authorised six charges under the Terrorism Act 200 for Makki, while Kassir has been charged with three. They are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today (Tuesday, December 16).

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, said: "These arrests and charges follow a painstaking investigation by detectives of Counter Terrorism Policing London, who have worked closely with a number of overseas law enforcement colleagues during the course of the investigation.

“These charges are yet a further demonstration that we will take robust action against anyone here whom we suspect as being involved in terrorist activity. I want to reassure the public that I do not assess there is an ongoing threat to the wider public as a result of the activities of these two individuals.”

Detectives first arrested both men on Tuesday, April 1, at their home addresses. They were subsequently released on bail. They were rearrested on December 10 and taken into custody before being charged with terrorism offences.