Alleged Hamas supporter livestreamed arrival into UK on small boat, court hears
An alleged Palestinian gunman who reportedly called for the slaughter of Jews livestreamed his illegal arrival into the UK on a small boat, a court has heard.
Abu Wadee, 33, also known as Mosab Abdulkarim Al-Gassas, is charged with arriving into the UK without leave or valid entry clearance.
He was arrested by immigration enforcement officers after arriving on a small boat in Kent on March 6, having paid smugglers 1,500 euros (£1,300), a previous court hearing was told.
Wadee was then placed in a hotel in the Manchester area.
Canterbury Crown Court heard on Thursday that Wadee, who left Palestine in 2022 before making asylum claims in Greece, Germany and Belgium, had no familial or financial ties to the UK and had stayed between Calais and Dunkirk in France for about seven days before making the crossing.
Prosecutor Harriet Palfreman said: 'The chronology of the countries that he has been through suggests he has an understanding of the immigration system.'
Views shared by the defendant online showed he 'presents a clear threat to the Jewish community', Ms Palfreman told the court.
His arrival in the UK made national headlines after it was reported that Wadee, a Palestinian from the city of Khan Yunis in Gaza, had posted on social media support for terror group Hamas, and hate-speech calling for the death of Jews.
It was also reported he posted a video on his Facebook page last September in which he is filmed calling for Allah to 'punish (Jews) completely'.
Audrey Mogan, defending, said Wadee had now claimed asylum in the UK and had been joined by 75 other people in the small inflatable boat for the Channel crossing.
The defendant suffered 'quite serious injuries', including to his eye, from other inmates while being detained at HMP Dovegate in Staffordshire, Ms Mogan told the court.
No plea was entered by Wadee, who appeared from custody and was joined in the dock by an Arabic interpreter, during the hearing.
The defendant denied the charge during a hearing at Manchester Magistrates' Court last month.
Judge Counsell refused an application for bail on the 'substantial grounds' that Wadee may abscond from the country or fail to surrender to court.
The judge ordered the defendant to next appear at the same court on May 2.
A spokesperson for the Campaign Against Antisemitism said: 'Clearly, denying bail to Mosab Abdulkarim Al-Gassas was the right decision. But this goes wider than alleged immigration offences.
'These proceedings have come about after we revealed that he was part of a Hamas-endorsed unit responsible for violence on the Gaza-Israel border and used antisemitic rhetoric at foreign rallies and online. Now, we are calling for terrorism charges to be added to the charge sheet.
'Our solicitors have written to the CPS expressing our belief that Mr Al-Gassas has committed serious offences and that it is in the interests of national security to bring a prosecution on those as well.
'Failure to do so risks signalling that Britain is a safe haven for terrorists. We cannot be a soft touch.'
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