Cleared of wounding with intent, former Hamas bodyguard guilty in Birmingham knife attack

Guilty of three offences

The trial lasted two weeks at Birmingham Crown Court. Jurors deliberated for more than six hours across three days before reaching their decisions.

What happened outside his home

Alfatih said the incident came a day after he learned that one of his brothers had been killed in Gaza. He also told the court he had been tortured during 25 days of detention in Egypt in 2010.

Hamas links and extradition

Reporting restrictions prevented Alfatih from being named during the trial. The jury was not told of his connection to Hamas or his former work as a bodyguard to the group’s deceased leader, Ismail Haniyeh.

Germany is seeking Alfatih over an alleged plot to murder Jewish people, and its extradition request cites his Hamas connection. He is expected to be extradited after completing his UK sentence.

Born in Germany, Alfatih is the son of former Hamas health minister Bassem Naim. He spent time in Malaysia, Qatar and Turkey before coming to Britain, received UK asylum in 2015 and became a British citizen in 2020.

Government response

Alfatih, a father of four and an IT worker, unsuccessfully sought to have the wounding charges dismissed, arguing that media coverage had prejudiced his case. A Home Office spokesperson said Hamas is a proscribed terrorist organisation and condemned people who support its activities or advance its aims.