Former Hamas Bodyguard Guilty of Birmingham Knife Attack Faces Extradition to Germany Over Alleged Murder Plot

A former bodyguard for Hamas who was convicted of a knife attack in Birmingham is wanted in Germany over an alleged plot to murder Jewish people, it can now be reported.

Mohammed Alfatih, 40, also known as Mohammed Naim, was found guilty on Friday of unlawful wounding, possession of two knives and criminal damage. The jury at Birmingham crown court returned majority verdicts and cleared him of the more serious charge of wounding with intent.

The attack took place on 14 October last year outside his home in Kings Heath, Birmingham. During a two-week trial, jurors were shown video footage of Alfatih lashing out with a knife at the broken window of a van. The bailiff, Kevin Bucknall, suffered cuts to his head and needed hospital treatment. Alfatih pleaded not guilty, claiming self-defence.

The jury was not told that Alfatih had links to Hamas, nor that he was under surveillance by a counter-terrorism unit at the time of the attack. He had been released on bail on suspicion of a terror offence only days before the bailiff was assaulted.

Alfatih, the son of a senior Hamas official, could not be named during the trial because of reporting restrictions. He had been photographed working for a former leader of Hamas before being granted asylum in the UK in 2015, and he received British citizenship in 2020.

While held in custody for the Birmingham attack, Alfatih was rearrested after German authorities said he had taken part in an alleged plot to strike Israeli targets in central Europe. He was born in Germany and is expected to be extradited there once he has served his UK sentence. His connection to Hamas is stated in the German extradition request.

In September, German prosecutors charged seven suspected Hamas members over an alleged plan to target Jews or Israelis in Germany or Austria around the second anniversary of the 7 October attack on Israel. They said a man identified as Mohammed A played a prominent role in transporting and storing weapons, but was being prosecuted separately because UK authorities had arrested him in London and he had not been returned to Germany.

German authorities said the suspect was connected to Hamas's leadership and had produced a video in advance to claim responsibility for the planned attack on the group's behalf. The plot was disrupted by Germany's domestic intelligence service following a tipoff from the Mossad, Israel's secret service.

A government source said: "This is a staggering example of the loss of border control under the last Conservative government, who granted his asylum claim and gave him citizenship. This Labour government has just introduced reforms that ensure those who gain citizenship must first show they are a good citizen and have contributed to this country."