UK jury convicts alleged Hamas member of wounding bailiff, Germany seeks extradition

Conviction in Birmingham

A jury at Birmingham Crown Court found Mohammed Alfatih, also known as Mohammed Naim, guilty of wounding a bailiff with a knife. Jurors deliberated for three days, and The Independent reports more than six hours in total. They cleared him of wounding with intent but convicted him of two counts of unlawful possession of a knife. Footage shown to the jury showed him waving two large kitchen knives outside his house in Kings Heath, Birmingham. He has been in custody since the attack, and he will be sentenced on 11 January.

The attack at the home

Bailiffs called at the house on 14 October 2025 to collect parking fines that his wife had left unpaid, which totalled £2,250 (2,677 euros). According to the reports, Alfatih received the officers holding two knives and attacked one of them, leaving a cut to the officer's head. The fines were the only dispute that brought the bailiffs to the property, and the case turned on that visit. Alfatih's wife was not named in the coverage of the trial. Media could not identify him during the proceedings because of reporting restrictions.

Alleged Hamas ties and asylum

Media reports say Alfatih was born in Germany and acted as a bodyguard to Hamas before seeking asylum in the UK. LBC reports that he left Gaza in 2014 and entered Britain illegally in the back of a lorry before lodging his claim. He was granted asylum in 2015 and British citizenship in 2020, and LBC says the citizenship was granted under Priti Patel, then Conservative home secretary. The Home Office has said it is considering revoking his citizenship and reviewing whether he lied in his application. Jurors were not told about his alleged Hamas links during the trial.

The alleged plot in Germany

German authorities want Alfatih over an alleged plot to attack Jewish targets on the second anniversary of the 7 October attacks on Israel. According to LBC, the targets would have included synagogues and Jewish centres in Berlin and Vienna. The same report says German intelligence thwarted the plot after a tip-off from Israel's Mossad. The coverage refers to seven arrests made by German authorities. Bild reports that German prosecutors obtained a self-recorded clip in which Alfatih outlined the planned attack, and LBC says he allegedly already obtained an automatic rifle, 13 pistols and more than 700 rounds of ammunition. He faces extradition proceedings at Westminster Magistrates' Court, but he can be handed over to Germany only after serving any UK sentence.

Reporting restrictions and next steps

Before the trial, a judge extended reporting restrictions after media coverage described a suspect named only as 'Mr X' who had won asylum in the UK and was said to have been planning attacks timed for the second anniversary of 7 October. Those reports said Mr X served in the security team of Ismail Haniyeh and had pre-recorded a masked video in front of a Hamas flag. Before the trial, Alfatih failed in a legal bid to have the wounding charges thrown out over prejudicial media coverage. LBC says he can now be identified for the first time. Sentencing is set for 11 January, and the Home Office is still considering whether to revoke his citizenship.