Migrant Accused of Plotting Knife Attack on Israeli Embassy in London
This is the dramatic moment a small boat migrant allegedly attempted to carry out a knife terror attack on London's Israeli embassy after his asylum claim was rejected. Kuwait-born Abdullah Albadri was captured by police after leaping onto an eight-foot fence surrounding the embassy, armed with two knives and a martyrdom note.
CCTV Footage Reveals Alleged Attack Attempt
Seen on CCTV strolling down the road wearing a traditional shemagh headscarf and sunglasses covering his face, the 34-year-old suddenly leapt onto the railings, attempting to climb over into the embassy grounds in Kensington on April 28 last year. He was quickly yanked down by two armed police officers who happened to be just yards away.
The dramatic footage was shown for the first time today as Albadri faces trial, accused of plotting a terror attack in revenge for the killing of children in Gaza. In the clip shown to jurors at the Old Bailey, Albadri was quickly bundled to the ground by officers as he allegedly shouted: 'I need to stop the war, they're killing babies.'
Police Intervention and Arrest Details
PC Libby Chessor was outside the Israeli embassy armed with an SG 550 carbine rifle and Glock 17 handgun when she saw Albadri walking towards her. She told the court: 'He seemed quite intent and purposeful in the way he was coming towards us. He gave a hand gesture to us that resembled a salute and that's when he climbed the fence.'
Police later discovered that he had two red-handled knives, each with a serrated blade approximately four inches in length. They also found what was said to be a suicide note written in Arabic. Catherine Pattison, prosecuting, told jurors: 'The existence and contents of his suspected martyrdom note, along with his possession of two knives, and material downloaded from his mobile phone, demonstrate his intention to use violence against people inside the Israeli embassy and sacrifice his own life in the process – to die, in his words, 'for the glory of God'.'
Asylum Background and Alleged Motives
The court heard that the homeless asylum seeker had made a series of attempts to gain entry to the UK. He arrived in Dover via a small boat in 2021 and applied for permission to remain, but failed to attend a Home Office interview in 2023. Jurors were told that Albadri re-entered the UK on a small boat from France on April 12 last year, just days before the embassy attack.
He was given temporary accommodation at a hotel in Basingstoke and applied for asylum, claiming he was a 'human rights activist' who had been arrested in Kuwait in 2011. On April 24, Albadri told an associate that the Home Office had refused his claim for asylum and he didn't have money to pay for a train ticket to Liverpool to make further submissions for an appeal.
The same day, he is alleged to have started researching the location of the Israeli Embassy, making 'sinister' plans. By April 28, Albadri's asylum application had been refused. Later that day, he made his way to the embassy after allegedly telling his mother that he was going to be 'martyred in the way of Allah'.
Court Proceedings and Charges
The court was also shown police body-worn camera footage of the defendant mumbling about knives as he was arrested. He could be heard asking the arresting officers: 'I wanna make a crime inside there, why are you stopping me? Why are you stopping me from making crimes?' The knifeman asked the officers, 'why didn't you let me in?', adding, 'I didn't do what I wanted to do'.
The defendant is said to have told officers: 'You remember me, I'm going to come again. I don't need to harm anybody now.' Albadri, of no fixed address, denies preparation of terrorist acts and two counts of possession of a bladed article in a public place. The trial continues.
