Former Hamas bodyguard convicted in Britain, wanted in Germany over alleged plot

Mohammed Alfatih, 40, also known as Mohammed Naim, has been convicted in Britain following a knife attack on a court bailiff in Birmingham. He has been identified as a former Hamas bodyguard and the son of a senior official in the organization.

Alfatih is also wanted by German authorities, who suspect him of involvement in a plot to attack Israeli and Jewish targets in Europe.

As the British newspaper The Guardian reports, he was found guilty on Friday of unlawful wounding, possession of two knives and criminal damage. The jury acquitted him of the more serious charge of wounding with intent.

The incident took place on October 14, 2025, outside Alfatih’s home in Birmingham. At trial, prosecutors presented footage showing him stabbing at the broken window of a van and waving two large kitchen knives.

The bailiff, Kevin Bucknall, suffered cuts to his head and received hospital treatment. Alfatih said he had acted in self-defense.

Alongside the British case, Alfatih is under investigation in Germany. According to The Guardian, he is suspected of being part of a Hamas-linked network that planned to attack Jewish and Israeli targets in Germany and Austria.

In September, German prosecutors charged seven suspected Hamas members over a plot against Israeli and Jewish targets in Central Europe around the second anniversary of the October 7 attack on Israel.

German authorities say Mohammed A. played a significant role in transporting and storing weapons. Proceedings against him are being handled separately because he was arrested in Britain and did not return to Germany.

German investigators also allege that Alfatih had ties to Hamas leaders and had previously recorded a video claiming responsibility for an attack on behalf of the organization. According to the investigation, the alleged plot was thwarted by Germany’s domestic intelligence service after it received information from Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency.

When the attack on the bailiff took place, Alfatih was under surveillance by a counterterrorism unit. Just days before the incident in Birmingham, he had been released on bail while under investigation on suspicion of a terrorism offense.

The jury in the British case was not told about either Alfatih’s alleged Hamas links or the counterterrorism investigation into him.

Alfatih was born in Germany. He was granted asylum in Britain in 2015 and British citizenship in 2020. According to reports, before moving to the United Kingdom, he had been photographed working for a former Hamas leader. Germany is seeking his extradition, a request expected to be considered after he serves his sentence in Britain.