A British former delivery driver known as J4 has lost his legal battle to regain his UK citizenship after being branded a “terror threat” by MI5. The Special Immigration Appeals Commission ruled against him following an appeal against the stripping of his passport.
WhatsApp plot against Danish politician
In March 2023, J4 discussed a plot against Rasmus Paludan, a hard-right Danish politician, on WhatsApp. He spoke about Paludan's plans to burn a Koran in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, and shared an Instagram link about him. J4 said he was “gonna try” to attend the demonstration, adding he would “not protest” but “attack that kuffar”, a derogatory term for non-Muslims.
He was arrested but released on bail before the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lifted his bail conditions and decided on no further action. However, MI5 officials recommended stripping J4 of his citizenship after he travelled abroad on a British passport, believing the WhatsApp exchange showed he wanted to commit Islamist terrorist violence in Britain or overseas.
Passport retained and used abroad
J4 was stripped of his British passport and told to return it within 31 days. He kept the passport and later used it to obtain overseas resident permits. During his appeal, his lawyers argued he had no intention to carry out violence and was simply someone who “shoots his mouth off”. Judges, however, said the messages were a “plain inference” of his intention to attack Mr Paludan.
The court decided J4 would not retain his citizenship, despite his mother and brothers remaining in the UK. His identity remains protected by a court anonymity order, which judges said was “necessary” for his safety.
Background on Rasmus Paludan
Mr Paludan, 44, founded the anti-Islam political party Stram Kurs (Hard Line) in 2017. He is known for provocative public demonstrations centred around burning copies of the Koran. In March 2023, he posted a video online announcing he intended to travel to Wakefield to burn a Koran in a public square, though local authorities and public figures, including MP Simon Lightwood, worked to prevent his arrival.
During the spring of 2022, he went on a tour across Sweden, publicly burning the Koran in areas with large immigrant populations, which provoked massive, violent counter-protests and riots. Mr Paludan has faced repeated legal action, including a four-month prison sentence for two counts of incitement against an ethnic group and one count of insult in November 2024. He was also sentenced to one month in jail, suspended for two months, in 2020 after being found guilty of 14 charges, including racism, defamation, and dangerous driving. The same year, he was expelled from France after signalling his intent to burn a Koran in Paris, then arrested and expelled from Belgium and given a two-year entry ban from Sweden.
