Latest news with #deaththreat
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Exposed: NHS manager accused of Rushdie-style fatwa death threat over 'insult to Mohammed'
An Islamist extremist working at one of London 's most famous hospitals has been suspended after being accused of issuing a fatwa-style death threat for blasphemy. The Mail on Sunday can reveal that NHS employee Omar Abdallah Mansuur, 39 – an influential imam – faces claims that he decreed a fellow Muslim should get the death penalty for insulting the Prophet Mohammed. His broadcast was made to tens of thousands of followers and is thought to be the first time a cleric in Britain has made such a threat. The terrified victim, now in hiding in Europe, has been warned by police that it is too dangerous for him to visit the UK. 'It is a living nightmare,' he said last night. 'My life is at risk and I am constantly looking over my shoulder.' But last night, Mansuur denied issuing a death threat, saying he merely stated the Islamic punishment for blasphemy. In some of his inflammatory diatribes, Mansuur appears on video from inside St Thomas' Hospital – directly across the Thames from the Houses of Parliament – where he works in procurement. One sequence shows him going into the hospital via an underground entrance and walking along a corridor before sitting down in an office. Staff describe bespectacled Mansuur, a British national of Somali origin who lives in North London with his wife and children, as unassuming and polite. But his social media profiles tell a different story. Mansuur, who works in procurement at St Thomas' Hospital – directly across the Thames from the Houses of Parliament – denied issuing a death threat, saying he merely stated the Islamic punishment for blasphemy Using TikTok, Facebook and X, he reaches millions of followers with his hate-filled videos and live broadcasts. On Friday, after the MoS passed on its evidence, the hospital said Mansuur had been suspended pending an investigation. Yair Cohen, a lawyer representing the victim, said: 'I am calling for immediate and decisive action to protect my client. 'Police forces seem able to swiftly arrest people for far less serious social media activity.' The National Secular Society said: 'It's appalling that here in the UK, Islamists are calling for the death of supposed blasphemers or those who leave Islam. The police and counter-extremism authorities must take this threat seriously, and people who incite murder against those who they see as offending their religion must face justice.' In one broadcast, Mansuur says of the 32-year-old moderate imam, whom he accuses of making offensive remarks about the Prophet: 'When he repents, he will be put to death in the manner Muslims are killed. If he refuses to repent he will be caught, killed, then thrown in a hole like a dog.' The death threat victim vehemently denies insulting Islam and insists comments he made on social media were doctored. The Metropolitan Police said it had referred his complaint to police in the country in which he is hiding. The target of the 'fatwa' told the Met in a statement that he fears he will suffer the same fate as French teacher Samuel Paty, who was beheaded near his school in Paris in 2020 after hate campaigners accused him of showing a cartoon of the Prophet to students. Hadi Matar was sentence to 25 years in prison on Friday for the attempted murder of Salman Rushdie. Pictured here at Chautauqua County Courthouse for his sentencing in Mayville, New York on May 16, 2025 He said: 'Mr Mansuur…issued a fatwa against me and that my punishment for insulting the Prophet is death…My life is at risk and I fear for my safety.' In other videos, Mansuur defends child marriages, saying girls as young as 11 can be married off by their parents without their consent as long as they are virgins. The death threat follows a disturbing rise in anti-blasphemy incidents in the UK. A Government report last year explained violence was promoted by 'the availability of jihadist propaganda online'. Experts say Islamists are being radicalised and then taking it upon themselves to resurrect the 'crime' of blasphemy in Britain. The report was commissioned by the Government's counter-extremism tsar following flashpoints including the RE teacher forced into hiding after he showed pupils a cartoon of Mohammed at a school in Batley, West Yorkshire. Iran's spiritual leader Ayatollah Khomeini imposed a fatwa on British author Salman Rushdie in 1989 for his novel The Satanic Verses. Mr Rushdie, 77, lived in hiding for almost a decade and was blinded in one eye when he was attacked by an extremist in New York in 2022. His attacker was last week jailed for 25 years. Mansuur broadcasts and posts videos in his native Somali language, which appears to have shielded him from the sort of attention authorities have paid to other firebrand preachers. He first accused the moderate imam – whom we are not naming for his safety – of blasphemy in 2022 when he was preaching on an app called Clubhouse. At the time he had several hundred followers. By the time the video re-surfaced on social media in March it had garnered thousands of views. Mansuur later took part in a live TikTok broadcast with other preachers, and accused the moderate imam of blasphemy. As a photo of the preacher appeared on screen, Mansuur said: 'His sentence is death, even if the person repents, the repentance cannot stop the will be executed for the insult.' The moderate imam complained to local police and was given security advice. He said: 'I was told to avoid mosques and areas with large groups of people. My life is in danger. I am always scared. His followers would take his video as a fatwa.' In his complaint to the Met, he said: 'Mr Mansuur... issued a 'fatwa' against me that my punishment for insulting the Prophet is death. Threats of death, violence, intimidation and harassment against me have increased and intensified in the last month which has left me living in fear, feeling distressed, worried and anxious.' In another live broadcast on TikTok in June 2022, Mansuur says the sharia punishment of death for blasphemy must be carried out on a Somali woman he accused of insulting the Prophet. Other speakers, however, urged restraint as she had repented. The following month, Mansuur issued a video, again on TikTok, against an unidentified man, whom he accused of committing blasphemy. In the shocking video, the caption in Somali reads: 'This filthy man insulted our Beloved [Prophet]. He is an infidel, and his blood is halal.' Mansuur then says: 'Action is required, bravery is required... Each of you should bring forth your capability.' Last night, campaigners accused Mansuur of inciting murder, but he told The Mail on Sunday his speeches had been 'taken out of context,' adding he has never advocated violence. Of his videos on the moderate imam he said: 'I was talking about one who insults the Prophet Mohammed. I was giving the opinion of scholars. I didn't say, go and do this. This is b*******. 'I haven't done anything against the law...I was only telling that we will take him to court. Anyone can take your words and twist it. My words are not against the law.' Asked why he accused others of blasphemy and said their punishment was death, Mansuur said he was just repeating Islamic law. The National Secular Society said: 'We're extremely concerned by the apparent lack of action by authorities on this case. Extremists who promote Islamic penalties for supposed blasphemy pose a serious threat to people's lives.' The NHS trust that runs St Thomas' said: 'We can confirm Mr Mansuur has been removed from duties pending an investigation into allegations about his behaviour.'
Telegraph
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Death threat forces Jenrick to get restraining order
Robert Jenrick has been forced to take out a restraining order against a man who sent him a death threat. The shadow justice secretary received the threat in a voicemail message during the final week of his Conservative leadership campaign last autumn. It comes amid growing threats to the safety of MPs, and after an arson attack that allegedly targeted Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, at the start of last week. The Telegraph can disclose that Mr Jenrick took out a restraining order last month against a 41-year-old man in Surrey who was convicted of a malicious communications offence. On April 2, the man pleaded guilty to sending an offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing message by a public communication network. Court records show that this took the form of a voicemail message in which it is understood the man threatened Mr Jenrick by saying he would 'smash his head to s---'. Further threats are believed to relate to the Tory frontbencher's home and family. The man was sentenced to 60 hours' unpaid work but avoided a jail sentence. He has been ordered not to contact Mr Jenrick or his constituency office until April 2027. The man was also forced to pay £85 in costs, as well as a further £114 surcharge. A source close to Mr Jenrick said: 'If people think threats will silence Rob, they need to give their head a wobble. This only makes him more determined to keep going. 'Rob just brushes these things off, but not everyone can do that. The constant threats and attacks on politicians will stop the good people we need from entering politics.' 'An attack on democracy' Two MPs have been killed in the past decade while performing their public duties. Jo Cox was fatally shot and stabbed just before holding a constituency surgery in 2016, and Sir David Amess was killed during a constituency surgery in Southend in 2021. At the end of last week, Roman Lavrynovych, a 21-year-old Ukrainian national, was charged after two properties and a car linked to Sir Keir were torched in suspected firebomb attacks. On Saturday, another man, 26, was arrested at 1.45pm at Luton Airport in connection with the fires. Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday, Sir Keir described the incidents as an ' attack on democracy '. The Speaker's Conference, an extraordinary committee convened by Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, is expected to make recommendations about improving MPs' safety within weeks. Vijay Rangarajan, the chief executive of the Electoral Commission, said the authorities must do more in response to social media abuse as well as deepfake porn targeting female MPs. Mr Rangarajan said: 'We've seen some horrendous social media abuse and deepfake porn of prominent female politicians and some others on social media. 'All of that is criminal and actionable but at the moment when someone gets some of this horrendous stuff, their instinct is to delete it and to ignore it because they don't want to amplify it. 'A pilot finding who's behind this and prosecuting them when it meets the threshold is working well in the Scottish Parliament, and we want to see this rolled out more broadly.' He went on to say the quality of interactions between voters and candidates had decreased, and that a rising atmosphere of intimidation was 'putting off candidates from standing'. 'Wave of intimidation in public life' Lord Walney, the Government's former adviser on political violence, said the attacks allegedly targeting Sir Keir must lead to greater protections for MPs in their constituencies. He told The Telegraph: 'The alarming attacks on the Prime Minister's house and related properties underlines why we need a zero tolerance approach to elected representatives being targeted in their homes. 'For too long, too many have tried to blur the line between legitimate protest and appalling intimidation that can put people's families at risk.' Lord Walney warned of a 'wave of intimidation in public life' that he said was 'fuelled by extreme activists' who risked driving people out of politics altogether. 'The apparent links between the attacks related to Sir Keir also highlights the need for better intelligence and data sharing between police forces,' the peer said. 'My review found weaknesses in the system which meant that criminal incidents targeting MPs in their constituencies were not always properly flagged through to the Westminster-based monitoring and acting on threats to elected representatives.'
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Secret Service agents question Comey about his Trump social media post
Secret Service agents interviewed former FBI director James Comey on Friday regarding his '8647' social media post that administration officials called a death threat against President Trump and Comey called a political statement. 'Today, federal agents from @SecretService interviewed disgraced former FBI Director Comey regarding a social media post calling for the assassination of President Trump,' DHS Secretary Kristi Noem posted on X Friday. 'I will continue to take all measures necessary to ensure the protection of @POTUS Trump. This is an ongoing investigation.' A lawyer for Comey declined to comment. Comey, a longtime Trump critic, deleted the photo — which showed seashells arranged in the shape of '8647'— within hours. He said it was a political message, not a violent one. 'I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence,' Comey wrote on Instagram. 'It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.' In an interview with Fox News on Friday, Trump said that he believes Comey 'knew exactly what he meant.' 'A child knows what that meant... that meant 'assassination,'' Trump said. 'And it says it loud and clear. He wasn't very competent, but he was competent enough to know what that meant.' Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said on Thursday that Comey should be jailed. 'I'm very concerned for the president's life; we've already seen assassination attempts,' Gabbard said on Fox News. 'I'm very concerned for his life and James Comey, in my view, should be held accountable and put behind bars for this.' Trump survived two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign. In July, he was wounded in the ear at a campaign rally in Butler, PA, after a gunman shot at him from a nearby rooftop before being killed by Secret Service snipers. Two months later, a man aimed a rifle at Trump's security detail while he was golfing in Florida. The man fled, was arrested and charged with attempting to assassinate a presidential candidate. The term 'eighty-six' is an expression used in restaurants that means to 'refuse to serve' or 'reject or ban' a customer, to 'remove (an item) from a menu,' or to "reject, discontinue, or get rid of (something),' according to Merriam-Webster. It dates back to the 1930s. Republican politicians have used '86' in social media posts themselves in the past. Last year, former Florida Republican congressman Matt Gaetz posted on X, 'We've now 86'd: McCarthy McDaniel McConnell Better days are ahead for the Republican Party.' The tweet referred to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel, and former Senator majority leader Mitch McConnell, who had all left leadership posts in the Republican party. On Friday, Gaetz told the Independent that his used of '86' was different than Comey's. 'I was speaking in the past tense about things that had already happened,' Gaetz said. 'Comey was putting out a call for future action. These are distinct.' In 2022, conservative activist Jack Posobiec posted on X, '86 46,' an apparent reference to Joe Biden, the 46th president. Posobiec did not respond to a request for comment, according to the Independent. For months, the 8647 number sequence has been used and seen on anti-Trump t-shirts, buttons and other merchandise sold on Amazon and Etsy—some of which are still available for purchase—as well as signage on 'Hands Off' protests across the country. Amazon and Etsy also sell items with the terms '8646' on them, referring to Biden. During Trump's first term, the numerical sequence was used as well. In 2020, Gretchen Whitmer, the Democratic governor of Michigan, was criticized after a pin with the numbers '8645' appeared on a table behind her during a television interview. At the time, Trump was the 45th president. Whitmer denied that the term meant 'assassinate.' After staffers in a Virginia restaurant asked White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders to leave in 2018, staffers wrote '86 — Sarah Huckabee Sanders,' in their overnight note, Politifact reported. A former federal prosecutor who has investigated multiple threat cases against government officials said that Comey had not committed a crime. He said the federal criminal statute banning death threats against the president requires an individual to 'knowingly and willingly' make an explicit threat 'to take the life of, to kidnap, or to inflict bodily harm.' The former prosecutor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing fear of retaliation, said Comey's post does not come close to meeting that legal threshold. 'He didn't commit a crime, 'the former prosecutor said. 'He gave his enemies an opening.' This article was originally published on
Telegraph
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Former FBI chief accused of making ‘death threat' against Donald Trump
The former director of the FBI has been accused of issuing a death threat against Donald Trump after taking a picture of seashells on a beach. James Comey, who led the FBI from 2013-2017, shared a photo on Instagram of seashells lined up on the sand to depict the numbers '8647'. He captioned the post: 'Cool shell formation on my beach walk.' However, the Secret Service is now investigating the matter after Trump allies interpreted the cryptic message as an incitement to violence against the president. To '86' is a slang term used in the hospitality industry and the military, meaning to ban someone from an establishment or scrap a piece of equipment. However, it can also mean to kill someone. Meanwhile, '47' is seen as a reference to Mr Trump, who is the 47th US president. 'While President Trump is currently on an international trip to the Middle East, the former FBI Director puts out what can clearly be interpreted as 'a hit' on the sitting President of the United States — a message etched in the sand,' White House deputy chief of staff Taylor Budowich wrote on X. 'This is deeply concerning to all of us and is being taken seriously.' Mr Trump's eldest son Donald Trump Jr also posted: 'Just James Comey casually calling for my dad to be murdered. 'This is who the Dem-Media worships. Demented!!!!' Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem said her department was investigating the post. 'Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS,' she wrote on X. 'DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.' Kash Patel, the FBI director, said that the bureau is 'in communication with the Secret Service' over the matter and 'will provide all necessary support'. Other senior Republicans labelled the post 'despicable' in the wake of previous attempts on Mr Trump's life and called on Mr Comey to explain his actions. 'This is a direct THREAT against President Trump, who has already survived two assassination attempts,' Alabama Senator Tommy Tubberville wrote on X. 'BEYOND despicable. James Comey MUST face consequences.' Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn added: 'James Comey is posting cryptic messages online alluding to getting rid of President Trump. 'Would he like to explain what he means by this given the assassination attempts on President Trump?' Following the online backlash, Mr Comey removed the post from Instagram and released a statement saying it had 'never occurred to me' that the message would be interpreted as a call for violence. View this post on Instagram A post shared by James Comey (@comey) Mr Trump, 78 was shot in the ear last July during a failed assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, that left one person dead and two others seriously injured. Two months later, Secret Service agents foiled another would-be assassin who hid in the bushes with a rifle at the president's golf course in Palm Beach, Florida. The president has a long-running feud with Mr Comey, whom he sacked as FBI director during his first term. The former bureau chief, who now writes thrillers, was held responsible by many Democrats for helping Mr Trump win the 2016 election after he reopened an investigation into Hillary Clinton's email affairs just 11 days before polling day.
BreakingNews.ie
12-05-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Emma Little-Pengelly tells of fear after receiving online death threat
The North's deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly has told how she has been left living in fear after receiving a death threat. Ms Little-Pengelly told the Stormont Assembly she had received an online threat and that an individual had been prosecuted and is awaiting sentencing. Advertisement The DUP minister received support from a number of MLAs during ministerial question time as she revealed the abuse. In response to a question about ending violence against women and girls, Ms Little-Pengelly said: 'The Online Safety Act of 2023 introduced new UK-wide laws that protect both children and adults from online harm and place specific obligations on online service providers. 'We support Ofcom's call to tech companies to play their part in addressing the risk of online harm and recently met with them to discuss this important issue.' She added: 'I am pleased to have got confirmation in the last couple of weeks that a person had been successfully prosecuted under a Section 181 charge against me. Advertisement 'That was sending messages by way of online communication, conveying a threat of death or serious harm, and at the time of sending, intended the individual, which was me, would be in fear that the threat would be carried out. 'That is one of the more serious charges in that legislation. 'I am pleased there has been a successful prosecution of that and that he will be sentenced very shortly.' Alliance Party MLA Eoin Tennyson, who had asked the original question, sent his solidarity to the deputy First Minister. Advertisement Ms Little-Pengelly said: 'The member will be aware that for many years, myself, along with my colleagues, have advocated for stronger protections of women. 'We have seen in recent months threats and abuse of public representatives right across this house, men and women. 'We have raised before there is a particular issue, as recognised by a number of reports, towards women. 'In this particular incident, and I know many of us get a significant amount of abuse, but in this particular case with a specific threat of death being communicated. Advertisement 'I am glad that legislation was there. It is a good demonstration that the Online Safety Act can and will be used to successfully prosecute. We await the sentencing of that. 'I think it is incredibly important that the courts do take these matters seriously. 'This is an issue which unites all of us to stand shoulder to shoulder to say it is absolutely wrong that there is abuse, threats of violence towards any public person, never mind elected representatives just trying to do their job.' SDLP MLA Cara Hunter sent her support to the deputy First Minister (Liam McBurney/PA) She added: 'Women have a right to participate in public life without suffering abuse or threats of violence. Advertisement 'Indeed we want to actively encourage women to get into public life. 'However, we sadly do know that women in public life are subjected to sustained and serious abuse on social media.' SDLP MLA Cara Hunter, who has also been the subject of online abuse, said nobody should face any kind of threat just for doing their job. Ms Little-Pengelly said: 'I felt afraid, I continue to feel afraid in terms of looking to the future because of the actions of this individual. 'I think that is utterly wrong.'
