Former Hamas Leader’s Bodyguard Convicted of Knife Attack in UK, Faces Extradition to Germany Over Alleged Terror Plot

Birmingham (Terror Monitor) — A British court has convicted a man suspected of links to Hamas over a knife attack on a court enforcement officer outside his home in Birmingham, while he is also wanted in Germany over an alleged plot to assassinate Jewish and Israeli targets in Central Europe.

Mohammed Alfatih, 40, also known as Mohammed Naim, was found guilty by a majority verdict at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, November 13, of unlawfully wounding a bailiff, possessing two knives and causing criminal damage.

However, the jury acquitted him of the more serious charge of wounding with intent.

Alfatih, who was born in Germany and raised in Gaza, is reportedly the son of senior Hamas official Basem Naim and previously served as a bodyguard to the group's former leader, Ismail Haniyeh.

According to British media reports, including Sky News, The Guardian and ITV News, the conviction followed a two-week trial concerning an incident outside Alfatih's home in Kings Heath, Birmingham, on October 14, 2025.

The victim, bailiff Kevin Bucknall, had visited the property to recover outstanding debts linked to unpaid parking fines exceeding £2,250 owed by Alfatih's wife.

During the confrontation, Alfatih allegedly armed himself with two large kitchen knives and attacked the enforcement officer, leaving him with a deep cut to the back of his head. The victim required hospital treatment.

Footage presented to the jury showed Alfatih brandishing the knives outside his home, striking the broken window of the bailiff's vehicle and damaging the vehicle with a half-brick.

Alfatih denied the charges, arguing that he had acted in self-defence and had intended only to frighten the enforcement officer away.

During his testimony, he described traumatic experiences in Gaza and Egypt, claiming that Egyptian authorities had detained and tortured him for 25 days in 2010, including subjecting him to electrocution.

His defence also referred to the deaths of family members and previous injuries he had sustained in Gaza.

A forensic psychiatrist told the court that Alfatih appeared to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The jury ultimately rejected his self-defence argument in relation to the unlawful wounding charge but cleared him of wounding with intent.

Alleged Hamas links and European terror plot

Alfatih's conviction has also brought renewed attention to a separate investigation by German authorities into an alleged Hamas-linked network accused of planning attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets in Germany and Austria.

German prosecutors allege that Alfatih played a prominent role in the network, helping transport and store firearms and ammunition for a planned attack.

According to reports by Sky News and German media, the alleged operation was intended to coincide with the second anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

Investigators believe the suspected network had moved beyond preliminary preparations and was making concrete arrangements for attacks against Israeli representatives, Jewish communities and individuals considered supportive of Israel.

German authorities have alleged that Alfatih was involved in transporting weapons from Berlin to Vienna, where they were allegedly stored for use in the planned operation.

Prosecutors have also alleged that a member of the network prepared a video claiming responsibility for the planned attacks in the name of Hamas.

Germany's Federal Public Prosecutor's Office announced in September 2026 that seven suspected Hamas members had been charged in connection with the alleged plot.

The investigation followed a series of arrests in Germany and abroad. Authorities have said that weapons recovered during the investigation included an automatic rifle, 13 handguns and more than 700 rounds of ammunition.

Alfatih was arrested in London in November 2025 at the request of German authorities and is being pursued separately in connection with the alleged conspiracy.

He has not been convicted of the German terrorism allegations, which remain subject to judicial proceedings.

From Hamas leadership security role to British citizenship

Alfatih was born in Germany but grew up in Gaza, where he reportedly served in the personal security detail of Ismail Haniyeh, the former head of Hamas who was killed in Tehran in July 2024.

British media reports identify him as the son of Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official.

Alfatih entered the United Kingdom in 2014 and was granted asylum in 2015. He subsequently obtained British citizenship in 2020.

He was reportedly under the supervision of British counter-terrorism authorities when the knife attack took place.

According to Sky News, he had previously been arrested on suspicion of supporting a terrorist organisation and questioned over material allegedly found on his mobile phone, including a video referring to the October 7 attacks and an image associated with Hamas's armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades.

British police later dropped that separate investigation, and the allegations concerning his Hamas connections were not presented to the jury during the Birmingham trial.

The court proceedings focused exclusively on the knife attack and related criminal damage charges.

Extradition to Germany expected after UK sentence

Following Friday's verdict, Alfatih was remanded in custody, with sentencing scheduled for January 11, 2027.

He is also facing extradition proceedings at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London following Germany's request for his transfer.

British authorities are expected to allow him to serve any custodial sentence imposed in the United Kingdom before proceeding with his extradition to Germany.

If extradited, he would face German judicial proceedings over the alleged Hamas-linked conspiracy and planned attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets in Central Europe.

The British government has not publicly commented on the operational details of the case, but a Home Office spokesperson said the government takes all necessary steps to protect national security.

The lifting of reporting restrictions following his conviction has allowed British media to identify Alfatih publicly for the first time in connection with the Birmingham proceedings.