An illegal migrant who twice broke into the United Kingdom has been convicted of preparation of terrorist acts after a jury found that his attempt to storm the Israeli embassy with knives was politically motivated.
34-year-old Kuwaiti migrant Abdullah Sabah Albadri has been found guilty of one count of preparation of terrorist acts contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006 and two counts of possession of a bladed article in a public place after he attempted to rush the Israeli embassy in London.
The court heard keffiyeh-wearing Albadri walked for four hours across London on April 28th of last year, a journey he said he spent praying, before arriving at the embassy. Saluting two armed diplomatic protection police officers as he arrived, Albadri rushed the eight-foot steel fence and attempted to scale it before being dragged back down to the ground by officers. He was found to be carrying two knives.
Once on the ground, the illegal migrant began chastising officers, on one hand for not having turned a blind eye to his bid to get inside the embassy, and also for not having shot him dead on the other.
Along with a note in his pocket on “the benefit of martyrdom” which explained his intention to die, in his words, “for the glory of God”, and a message to his mother the morning of the failed attack imploring her to “be proud of me because I will conquer the enemies in their own homes”, Albadri’s remarks to officers at the scene formed part of the evidence against him.
The court heard he said to police after he was detained: “I want to make a crime inside there. Why are you stopping me? Why are you stopping me from making crimes?… Why didn’t you let me in?”
In court, Albadri admitted he had been hoping to be martyred, explaining being shot and killed at the scene would have been “better than this”, reports the BBC.
Albadri had come to the United Kingdom illegally twice, the second time by migrant boat and arriving just 16 days before his attempted attack on the Israeli embassy. It is reported that he had also previously served a prison sentence in his native Kuwait.
The Criminal Prosecution Service hailed the conviction, saying they had argued Albadri’s actions were “deliberate and planned” and the jury agreed. A spokesman said: “Abdullah Albadri deliberately armed himself, concealed his identity and attempted to climb into a diplomatic site while carrying knives.
“The evidence showed planning and preparation, and that his actions were driven by an intention to use violence to make a political statement. Thanks to the swift actions of officers, no one was hurt, and today’s verdicts reflect the seriousness of what was prevented.”
The Metropolitan Police, whose specialist Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Branch officers cover VIPs in London, said through a spokesman: “I want to praise the officers’ incredible bravery and professionalism, which, remarkably, resulted in nobody being seriously injured – despite being confronted by a man armed with knives, intent on carrying out a terrorist attack.
“Those officers responded within seconds, and after his safe arrest, a thorough investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing London ensured we gathered the evidence that secured this conviction.”