Member of rap trio Kneecap out on bail on terror charge, calls lawsuit ‘distraction'
For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @arabnews.lifestyle
Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who was initially charged under the Anglicised name Liam O'Hanna and whose stage name is Mo Chara, is alleged to have waved the yellow flag of Hezbollah during a Kneecap gig in London on Nov. 21, 2024.
A post shared by KNEECAP (@kneecap32)
O hAnnaidh is accused of holding up the flag on stage while saying 'Up Hamas, up Hezbollah.' Kneecap have said the flag was thrown on stage during their performance.
The 27-year-old was charged in May under the Terrorism Act, which makes it a criminal offence to display an article in a way which arouses reasonable suspicion that someone is a supporter of a proscribed organisation.
O hAnnaidh appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday wearing the keffiyeh scarf associated with the Palestinian cause and had to fight his way through a scrum of photographers to get inside the building.
He sat alongside an Irish language interpreter during the hearing and his bandmates Naoise O Caireallain, stage name Moglai Bap, and J.J. O Dochartaigh, who goes by DJ Provao, were also in court, with supporters filling the public gallery.
RULING NEXT MONTH
Irish music was played outside the court throughout the hearing, with many supporters waving Irish and Palestinian flags while others held placards reading 'Free Mo Chara.'
O hAnnaidh's lawyers say the charge was brought too late and the prosecution case should be thrown out, as O hAnnaidh was formally charged on May 22 this year, one day after the six-month limit for such charges.
Prosecutor Michael Bisgrove, however, argued that O hAnnaidh was charged on May 21, within the time limit. Judge Paul Goldspring said he would give a decision on Sept. 26.
O hAnnaidh left the court to cheers from supporters, telling the crowd the charge against him was 'a distraction from the real story' of Israel's actions in the Palestinian territories.
Belfast-based Kneecap, who rap in Irish and English and regularly display pro-Palestinian messages during their gigs, previously said the charge was an attempt to silence them.
The group — who rap about Irish identity and support the republican cause of uniting Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland — have been increasingly vocal about the war in Gaza since O hAnnaidh was charged.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
UK Targets Iranian Oil Magnate, Four Companies with Asset Freeze
Britain imposed sanctions on one individual and four entities on Thursday under its Iran sanctions regime, saying they are part of a network that supports Tehran's overseas activities, including "destabilization" in Ukraine and Israel. The sanctions include an asset freeze on Iranian oil magnate Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, and on four companies operating in the shipping, petrochemical and financial sectors, the foreign office said in a statement Britain said Tehran relies on revenues from such trading networks to fund its "destabilising activities", including support for proxy groups and threats on UK soil, Reuters reported. "Today, the UK is announcing sanctions against those who operate on behalf of Iran, fuelling its attempts to undermine stability in the Middle East and global security," Minister for the Middle East, Hamish Falconer, said. The United States, which sanctioned Shamkhani last month, said he controls a vast network of container ships and tankers through a complex web of intermediaries that sell Iranian and Russian oil and other goods throughout the world. Some of the companies sanctioned by Britain on Wednesday were cited for acting on behalf of or at the direction of Shamkhani, who is accused of aiding Iran's overseas operations. Shamkhani was also sanctioned by the European Union in July. British lawmakers warned last month that Iran posed a growing and multifaceted threat to Britain, and while it does not yet rival the scale of challenges posed by Russia or China, they said the government was ill prepared to confront it. They said the Iranian threat spanned physical attacks and potential assassinations targeting dissidents and Jewish communities, as well as espionage, offensive cyber operations, and efforts to develop nuclear weapons. Iran has rejected these claims, calling them "unfounded, politically motivated and hostile allegations".
Al Arabiya
6 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
US woman jailed for 30 years in UK for failed assassination plot
An English court on Thursday handed an American woman a 30-year jail sentence after she was convicted of trying to murder a British man caught up in a feud between families. After a years-long police hunt, would-be assassin Aimee Betro, 45, was extradited earlier this year from Armenia, where she had been living, to face trial in the central English city of Birmingham. Prosecutors told the court Betro had covered her face with a niqab before climbing out of a car in September 2019 and trying to shoot Sikander Ali at point-blank range in his own car. But the handgun jammed and Ali drove away at high speed. Hours later Betro returned to the house, and fired three shots at his family home, the court heard. Sentencing Betro, Judge Simon Drew told her it was only a 'matter of chance' that Ali had not been killed. 'You were engaged in a complex, well-planned conspiracy to murder,' he added. 'You were prepared to pull the trigger and did so on two separate occasions.' Prosecutors said Betro was part of a plot with co-conspirators Mohammed Aslam, 56, and his 31-year-old son, Mohammed Nabil Nazir. Betro had met Nazir on an online dating site, and told the jury she was in love with him. Both men were jailed last year for their roles in the 'violent' feud which erupted after they were injured in a brawl at Ali's father's clothing store in July 2018. Graphic design graduate Betro did not know Ali and denied three charges including conspiracy to murder and possessing a self-loading pistol. She said she had no knowledge of the plot. Betro, who is originally from Wisconsin, told jurors it was 'just a terrible coincidence' that she had been close to the scene of the attack. She maintained the real shooter was 'another American woman' who sounded similar to her and had the same phone and brand of trainers. Police said they had seen no evidence that Betro was paid for her role in the attack.
Arab News
14 hours ago
- Arab News
Daesh extremists exploit instability in Africa and Syria, UN experts say
UNITED NATIONS: Daesh extremists are exploiting instability in Africa and Syria and remain a significant threat in Afghanistan, Central Asia and Europe, UN counterterrorism experts said Wednesday. The militant group is now using advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, and social media, which poses a new challenge, the experts told a UN Security Council meeting. The Daesh group , which uses the name Islamic State,declared a self-styled caliphate in a large swath of Syria and Iraq that it seized in 2014. It was declared defeated in Iraq in 2017 following a three-year battle that left tens of thousands of people dead and cities in ruins, but its sleeper cells remain in both countries and it has affiliates and supporters in many other countries. The UN has seen a resurgence of activity by the Daesh in the Sahel — in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger — and in West Africa the group has emerged 'as a prolific producer of terrorist propaganda and attracted foreign terrorist fighters, primarily from within the region,' said Vladimir Voronkov, who heads the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism. He said arrests in Libya have revealed logistics and financing networks with connections to Daesh in the Sahel. In Somalia, Voronkov said, a large-scale Daesh attack was countered by Somali security forces and some 200 IS fighters were killed and over 150 arrested. But he said despite the losses IS still benefits from regional support networks and remains a threat. In northcentral Africa's Lake Chad Basin region, the Islamic State is 'increasingly receiving foreign material and human support to conduct its operations, including money, drones and expertise on improvised explosive devices,' said Natalia Gherman, who heads the executive directorate of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee. 'Its ability to adapt and exploit instability continues to pose significant challenges, particularly in parts of Africa,' she said. 'The continent bears over half the world's fatalities from terrorist attacks.' In the Middle East, Voronkov said IS is active in Iraq and Syria, where it is trying to restore its operations in the northwest Badia desert region and renew effort to destabilize local authorities. He said the militants are exploiting security gaps, conducting covert operations and inciting sectarian tensions in Syria. In Afghanistan, the Daesh group's Khorasan affiliate 'continues to represent one of the most serious threats to Central Asia and beyond,' Voronkov said, citing its targeting of civilians, minority groups and foreign nationals. Gherman added that IS-Khorasan is using 'propaganda tactics and online campaigns' to try to recruit and fundraise in Central Asia and Europe. She called for innovative responses to the Daesh group's use of artificial intelligence and social media for recruitment, fundraising and propaganda. 'Although AI is being harnessed to amplify the group's reach and impact, it also holds significant potential for states to enhance the detection, prevention and disruption of terrorist activities,' Gherman said. Elisa De Anda Madrazo, president of the Financial Action Task Force, which researches how terrorism is financed, said a major change is that 'Digital platforms such as social media, messaging apps and crowdfunding systems are increasingly being abused for terrorist financing.'
