Ex-bodyguard to Hamas leader 'won UK asylum and citizenship' before allegedly plotting terror attack against Jewish people in Europe

The ex-bodyguard to the leader of Hamas 'won UK asylum and citizenship' before allegedly plotting a terror attack against Jewish people in Europe.Mr X, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was allegedly awarded refugee status in Britain in 2015 despite having worked in the personal security detail of Ismail Haniyeh, then the Hamas leader in Gaza.He had also allegedly been detained by authorities in Egypt for overseeing a tunnel used for smuggling guns and gold into Gaza.Mr X, a married father in his forties, now faces extradition to Germany over accusations of orchestrating a terror plot against Israeli diplomats, pro-Israel demonstrations and the Jewish community there or in Austria in October 2025.The alleged planned attacks were apparently intended to roughly coincide with the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks which claimed the lives of around 1,200 people.He also faces trial in the UK over a separate criminal case. If he is convicted, he will receive a custodial sentence before being extradited to Germany on charges of procuring arms for Hamas.National Crime Agency officers swooped to arrest the alleged former Hamas chief in central London last November after reports of the plotted attack reached Mossad and Germany's intelligence and security forces.Berlin officials worked with diplomatic partners, including the UK, to seize seven suspects and weapons including an AK-47 rifle. Hamas fighters pictured in Gaza. The ex-bodyguard to the leader of Hamas 'won UK asylum and citizenship' before allegedly plotting a terror attack against Jewish people in EuropeThe German indictment, first obtained by German newspaper Bild, also reveals that Mr X - who remains in custody in Britain - is accused of bringing weapons to a Vienna storage facility.The alleged former Hamas bodyguard also pre-recorded a clip positioning himself in front of a Hamas flag, while armed and masked, and claiming the planned attack was a form of retribution on behalf of the Ezzidine al-Qassam Brigades, the group's military wing, the indictment adds.The indictment also claims he transported five pistols, ammunition, woollen hats, neck warmers and gloves from Berlin last July and dropped them off in a hired storage site in Vienna.Mr X was described as an 'essential' figure in the plot by a law enforcement source, The Sunday Times reports.He still cannot be named despite suggestions the terror attack plans were among the most severe in Germany's recent history, after his lawyer argued identifying him would prejudice a separate criminal case set for trial in the UK.Sources suggest Mr X was first part of Haniyeh's security force at the time of Hamas's emphatic victory in Palestine's legislative elections.Haniyeh was in power in Gaza in the decade after Hamas won a civil war with its rival Fatah and seized the strip. Mr X was at some point between 2009 and 2012 detained by Egyptian officials for operating a gun-smuggling tunnel.He left Gaza in 2012 and had arrived in Britain by 2015, joining fellow leaders of Hamas and its forebear the Muslim Brotherhood.A Theresa May-run Home Office granted the alleged former Hamas security official asylum, although it is unknown how much mandarins knew about his alleged role in the inner workings of the terror group.He was later handed citizenship and moved into a home in the suburbs surrounding an English city with his wife and children.The father has used two properties in the same English city in recent years but does not own either of them.Mr X changed his name at least once, according to sources, with Companies House records showing UK entities incorporated under several identities.He left positive reviews for local businesses under a Google Maps account as recently as two years ago - all while attending protests outside the Israeli embassy. Online pictures show him standing alongside Haniyeh, including one where he escorts the Hamas leader in Gaza through a throng of supporters holding Kalashnikovs.Haniyeh was assassinated by Mossad in Tehran in July 2024, just months after the October 7 attacks.As a vocal spokesperson and intermediary for Hamas on the world stage, Haniyeh had described the October 7 attacks as 'an earthquake that struck the heart of the Zionist entity' and vowed to continue the fight to 'liberate... all our land'.But for years, the 'overall leader' of Hamas had lived a life of luxury outside of Gaza, drawing the ire of many Gazans who felt he had become 'out of touch' after rising to the top of Hamas' political structure in its early years in power.As he decried poverty in the beleaguered Gaza Strip, Haniyeh became the wealthiest of Hamas' leaders, jetting between five-star hotels in Doha and Istanbul while Hamas siphoned millions in international aid for military use. Mr X, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was allegedly awarded refugee status despite working in the security detail of Ismail Haniyeh, then Hamas leader in Gaza, pictured in 2021Police found Mr X's pre-recorded video while raiding a property and it is believed the clip was filmed in Vienna.Seven others were last year arrested over the alleged planned attack including two German citizens, one Dane, one Bulgarian and three Lebanese suspects.A German intelligence asset, who allegedly went rogue, is alleged to have been a co-conspirator of the plotted terror attack.The Daily Mail has approached the Home Office for comment.