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Suspected Hamas member guilty of UK knife attack
German prosecutors allege he helped move weapons for a Hamas plot targeting Jewish and Israeli sites, while a UK court convicted him of wounding.
On Friday, Birmingham Crown Court convicted Mohammed Alfatih of wounding following a knife attack on bailiff Kevin Bucknall; he now faces extradition to Germany on terrorism offences linked to Hamas.
Prosecutors allege Alfatih served as a bodyguard for former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh around 2006, 'thus held a position of special trust' with senior leadership before relocating to Britain.
Investigators allege Alfatih transported a fully automatic assault rifle, eight Glock 26 semi-automatic pistols and more than 600 rounds of ammunition to Vienna to support a 'globally active terrorist organisation with close ties' to Hamas.
Defense witness Dr. Mehdi Veisi described Alfatih as 'pleasant' and suffering from PTSD, but Prosecutor Matthew Brook KC revealed the defendant's phones contained 'various Hamas material' and he 'had not been given the full picture.'
Israel's spy agency, Mossad, described the network as the 'Hamas Octopus,' while the Home Office stated it 'take all steps necessary at all times to protect the nation's security' regarding such threats.