Former Hamas bodyguard unmasked after 'plotting terror attack' when given British citizenship

A former bodyguard to the leader of Hamas who was granted British citizenship before allegedly plotting a terrorist attack in Europe on the second anniversary of 7 October 2023 can be identified for the first time.

Mohammed Alfatih, 40, is accused of playing a "prominent" role in an alleged plan to assassinate Israeli and Jewish targets in Germany and neighbouring Austria.

He was born in Germany, but grew up in Gaza, where he acted as a bodyguard for Ismail Haniyeh, who led Hamas between 2006 and 2017, and was assassinated in Iran in 2024.

Alfatih, who is the son of Hamas official Basem Naim, claimed asylum in the UK in 2014 before becoming a citizen in 2020, and was arrested in London in November last year on a German arrest warrant.

The Israeli intelligence service Mossad said Alfatih, who still uses the name Naim on his LinkedIn profile, held a meeting with his father in Qatar in September 2024.

Hamas's military wing, the al Qassam Brigades, allegedly set up arms depots in Europe, and by the start of October last year had a stash of weapons including a fully automatic rifle, 13 functional pistols, and more than 700 rounds of ammunition, according to the German indictment.

Alfatih, who is referred to as Mohamed A because of the country's privacy laws, is alleged to have twice met with an accomplice in Berlin in the summer of 2025, receiving five pistols and ammunition.

He then transported the weapons to Austria, storing them in Vienna, in preparation for the planned attacks in Germany and Europe, according to German authorities.

German media have published pictures from a pre-recorded video found in the operation, which is said to show Alfatih, speaking Arabic and wearing a black balaclava and sunglasses, vowing "revenge" for the Israeli "genocide" in Gaza.

Father-of-four Alfatih is facing extradition to Germany to face trial, but the proceedings have been put on hold pending the outcome of unrelated criminal proceedings in the UK.

His identity can be reported for the first time today after reporting restrictions were lifted when he was found guilty of an attack on a bailiff who came to his Birmingham home over his wife's unpaid parking tickets on 14 October 2025.

He was on police bail at the time of the incident after being arrested on suspicion of supporting a terrorist group, Hamas, on 2 October last year, but police have since dropped the investigation.

Alfatih was questioned by UK counter-terrorism police over alleged Hamas-linked material found on his mobile phone.

It included a video referencing the 7 October 2023 Hamas attacks, and an image of an al Qassam Brigades fighter in military uniform and wearing a green bandana, the court heard during legal arguments.

Footage played at Birmingham Crown Court shows Alfatih holding a half-brick and armed with two kitchen knives before smashing the window of bailiff Kevin Bucknall's van and leaving him with a gash on his head.

Alfatih claimed self-defence, arguing he "witnessed and experienced extreme and traumatic violence in Gaza and Egypt".

He told a psychiatrist, who diagnosed him as suffering from PTSD, his youngest brother was killed by the IDF the night before the incident, but reports suggest he actually died in clashes between Hamas fighters and a Palestinian clan.

His barrister Kate O'Raghallaigh said his other brother was also shot dead, while Alfatih was himself shot twice in Gaza, once when he was on his way to school aged just 16.

He was also detained in Egypt, where he was studying, and tortured, including being "electrocuted", she said.

But the jury was not told of Alfatih's links to Hamas, and he was even given a so-called "good character direction" by Judge George Lubega, because he doesn't have any previous convictions in the UK.

Alfatih denied but was found guilty of unlawful wounding, two counts of possessing a kitchen knife and criminal damage by a majority of 10 to two.

He was acquitted of an alternative more serious count of wounding with intent.

The judge adjourned sentencing until 11 January and remanded Alfatih in custody.

He will serve any custodial sentence in the UK before any extradition goes ahead.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "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."

(c) Sky News 2026: Former Hamas bodyguard unmasked after 'plotting terror attack' when given British citizenship<