Alleged Hamas supporter admits trying to enter UK illegally

Independent

19-05-2025

An alleged Palestinian gunman who reportedly called for the slaughter of Jews has admitted attempting to enter the UK illegally.
Abu Wadee, 33, also known as Mosab Abdulkarim Al-Gassas, pleaded guilty on Monday to trying to get into the country on March 6 without leave or valid entry clearance.
He was arrested by immigration enforcement officers after arriving on a small boat in Kent, having paid smugglers 1,500 euros (£1,300), Canterbury Crown Court previously heard.
Wadee was then placed in a hotel in the Manchester area.
The court had heard 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.
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.
He posted a video on his Facebook page last September in which he is filmed calling for Allah to 'punish (Jews) completely', it was reported.
In another picture posted on Facebook in March 2021, it is claimed Wadee stared into the camera while smoking a cigarette and brandishing an assault rifle with a telescopic sight.
Wadee has a large following on social media, where his TikTok videos attract up to 2.5 million views, The Mail on Sunday claimed.
He is alleged to have charted his journey from Gaza on the social media channel, including posting footage of his dinghy being approached by the Border Force vessel.
As part of his journey across Europe, he posted a picture of himself in Brussels on Valentine's Day, and then in central Paris earlier this month.
Wadee was re-arraigned via an Arabic interpreter after the charge was amended to include that he 'attempted' to arrive in the UK without leave or valid entry clearance.
He is set to be sentenced on Monday.