Mohammed Alfatih, a former bodyguard for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, was convicted at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday of wounding an enforcement officer during a knife attack in Birmingham.
The 40-year-old, also known as Mohammed Naim, was found guilty by a majority verdict of unlawful wounding, possession of two knives, and criminal damage, according to The Jerusalem Post. While convicted of the assault, he was cleared of the more serious charge of wounding with intent, The Guardian reported.
Alfatih is also wanted in Germany on suspicion of playing a central role in a Hamas plot to carry out terrorist attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets in Europe, The National reported.
The Birmingham knife attack
The conviction follows an incident on October 14, 2025, when enforcement officer Kevin Bucknall arrived at Alfatih’s home in the Kings Heath neighborhood of Birmingham to collect more than £900 in unpaid parking fines incurred by Alfatih’s wife. Speaking to The Telegraph, a former landlord said that Alfatih’s constant failure to pay rent on time made the situation a nightmare, as they were perpetually forced to pursue him for payment.
During the altercation, Alfatih chased the officer and smashed a vehicle window with a brick, The National reported.
Prosecutor Matthew Brook said that Alfatih “stabbed out towards the driver’s window with one of the knives he was holding”, leaving the bailiff with a 1-2cm cut to his head that required hospital treatment. Bucknall suffered a head injury, with blood running down his neck and back, and required hospital treatment.
Alfatih pleaded not guilty, arguing he acted in self-defence, citing traumatic experiences in Gaza and Egypt. His attorney, Kate O’Raghallaigh, contended that his previous life experiences had intensified his sense of danger, triggering feelings of desperation and fear. During the trial, Alfatih told the jury he did not think he was in his full mind and stated, “I just want to be as honest as I can.”
Video evidence was presented to the jury during the trial, showing Alfatih using a knife to strike at a van’s broken window on 14 October 2025.
German terror plot allegations
While detained in the UK, Alfatih was rearrested after German authorities identified him as part of a suspected Hamas plot to target Jewish and Israeli institutions in Germany and Austria around the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks, The Guardian reported. The plot was disrupted by Germany’s domestic intelligence service following a tip-off from Israel’s Mossad.
German prosecutors allege that Alfatih played a prominent role in transporting and storing weapons. According to German officials, he had links to the leadership of Hamas and reportedly filmed a video in advance to claim responsibility for the attack on the group’s behalf.
The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office issued an arrest warrant for Alfatih on November 3, 2025, The National reported. According to German authorities, the group had acquired an automatic rifle, 13 pistols, and 700 rounds of ammunition by the time they were detained in Berlin in October 2025.
According to reports in Germany and Britain, he appeared in the recording wearing a mask.
Basem Naim faces US terrorism designations
Alfatih, the son of a senior Hamas official, arrived in the UK in 2014, was granted asylum in 2015, and became a British citizen in 2020. In November 2024, the US designated Basem Naim as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist under sanctions.
The United States identified him as a “senior Hamas member based in Gaza” who participated in the group’s engagements with Russia and has been a part of Hamas delegations to other countries. Naim was accused by Egyptian security sources of running a tunnel, smuggling gold and money, and helping individuals suspected of terrorism to escape.
Alfatih had previously worked as a bodyguard for a former leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed by the Israelis in 2023. Photographs from 2007 show Alfatih standing behind Haniyeh. Before being granted asylum in the UK in 2015 and British citizenship in 2020, he was photographed working for a former leader of Hamas.
The Home Office responded to the case by stating, “There can be no place in our society for those who engage in violence or seek to facilitate terrorist attacks against innocent people.” “Hamas is a proscribed terrorist organisation, and we condemn those who choose to support its activities and further its aims,” The Jerusalem Post reported.
A government source said that the previous Conservative administration lost control when they granted his asylum and citizenship, noting that the current Labour government has introduced reforms requiring those seeking citizenship to show they are good citizens and have contributed to the country.
Alfatih is expected to be extradited to Germany after he has served his sentence in the UK, The Guardian reported. His extradition proceedings have been put on hold pending the outcome of the British criminal case.