A Palestinian influencer jailed for trying to enter the UK on a small boat without leave or valid entry clearance has been found living in taxpayer-funded asylum accommodation in Corby, Northamptonshire. Mosab Abdulkarim Al-Gassas, better known as Abu Wadee, previously called for the slaughter of Jewish people and was released under the Government's early release scheme in June after serving 40% of his nine-month sentence.
Release and recall
Wadee, 34, was recalled for breaching his licence conditions and has been living in Corby with three other migrants since his release in December 2025, The Times reports. He is reportedly staying in a semi-detached House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) - a property rented out by multiple people from different households who share facilities like the bathroom and kitchen.
He prompted a security alert when he posted footage of himself making a V-for-victory gesture while travelling on a crowded small boat carrying migrants wearing orange life jackets. The alleged Palestinian gunman made headlines after social-media posts emerged in which he appeared to express support for Hamas and called for the death of Jewish people.
Background and militant links
He paid smugglers €1,500 (£1,300) for the journey to the UK and was then put in a hotel in Manchester. In 2021, he posted on Facebook showing himself throwing pipe bombs and in 2024 he was filmed calling for Allah to "punish [Jews] completely", The Telegraph reports. Before he arrived in the UK, Wadee was said to be a member of the "Tyre Burning Unit" militant group.
Wadee has nearly 20,000 followers on TikTok. He told the Northamptonshire Telegraph on Monday that he no longer supports Hamas.
Deportation calls and official response
Lee Barron, the Labour MP for Corby and East Northamptonshire, has called for his immediate deportation. Mr Barron said he was "appalled" by Wadee's presence in Corby and vowed to contact the Home Secretary "to seek his immediate deportation."
Wadee told the publication: "That was back when I lived in Gaza under Hamas rule. Everyone knows that Hamas is a terrorist organisation that would kill us if we didn't speak against the Jews while living there." He added that he now has Jewish friends and really enjoys living in Corby.
The Home Office does not comment on individual cases, but as reported by The Telegraph, a Government spokesman said: "Any foreign national who receives a prison sentence in the UK is referred for deportation at the earliest opportunity and will be barred from ever returning. Over 11,000 foreign criminals including murderers and rapists have been returned or deported in the two years since the last election – a 41 per cent increase on the two years prior."
A spokesman for the Campaign against Anti-Semitism said: "What is the point of imprisoning someone for being in the country illegally, and then when he completed his sentence allowing him to roam free? Our laws have become a laughing stock. This is all the more significant in a week when the Home Secretary has announced that she will make it easier for Gazans to settle in the UK with no assurances being provided as to whether they may hold anti-Semitic views or have a history of terrorism. Our country desperately needs to get a grip."
