Mohammed Al-Fatah, 40, the son of senior Hamas official Bassem Naim and a former bodyguard of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, according to media reports, was convicted on Friday at Birmingham Crown Court in the UK of wounding an enforcement officer with a bladed weapon, possessing two knives, and causing criminal damage.
Al-Fatah is also wanted in Germany on suspicion of playing a central role in a Hamas plot to carry out terrorist attacks against Israelis and Jews in Europe around the second anniversary of the October 7 attack.
Also known as Mohammed Naim, Al-Fatah was born in Germany and raised in the Gaza Strip. He arrived in the UK in 2014, was granted political asylum in 2015, and became a British citizen in 2020.
British media reports have identified him as a former member of Haniyeh's security detail. His identity was protected by a court-imposed reporting restriction throughout the trial, but the order was lifted on Friday following his conviction.
The incident occurred on October 14, 2025, when enforcement officer Kevin Becknall arrived at Al-Fatah's home in Birmingham's Kings Heath neighborhood to collect more than £2,250 in unpaid parking fines incurred by his wife.
Former Hamas official arrested in UK for knife attack
A confrontation broke out inside the house, after which Al-Fatah went outside armed with two large kitchen knives and half a brick.
Footage shown in court captured him chasing Becknall's vehicle, swinging the knives toward the window, and smashing the glass. Becknall suffered a head injury, with blood running down his neck and back, and required hospital treatment.
Al-Fatah argued that he had acted in self-defense, citing traumatic experiences in Gaza and Egypt. He told the court that he had been shot twice in the past and had learned of his brother's death in Gaza the day before the incident.
A psychiatrist who testified during the trial said Al-Fatah suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.
The jury rejected his self-defense claim and convicted him by a majority of 10 to two. However, he was acquitted of the more serious charge of wounding with intent.
Judge George Lubega ordered him to remain in custody and scheduled his sentencing for January 11, 2027.
German prosecutors accuse Al-Fatah of central role in Hamas terror plot
Al-Fatah is also implicated in a separate, more serious terrorism case in Germany.
In an official statement issued in September, announcing charges against seven other suspects, German federal prosecutors alleged that Al-Fatah, identified in German court documents as "Mohammed A.," had played a particularly prominent role in the Hamas network and had connections to the organization's leadership.
According to prosecutors, Al-Fatah met twice in Berlin with another member of the network during the summer of 2025 and received five handguns and ammunition. He then transported the weapons to Austria, where he stored them in Vienna as part of preparations for attacks targeting Israeli representatives, Jews, and people associated with Israel in Germany and Austria.
An investigation published by the Austrian newspaper Der Standard on October 1, 2026, based on materials from the German investigation, identified two potential targets in Vienna: the Jewish Museum and the Austrian-Israeli Society.
German prosecutors said that by the time members of the network were arrested on October 1, 2025, the group had accumulated an automatic rifle, 13 functioning handguns, and more than 700 rounds of ammunition.
One of the most serious allegations was that Al-Fatah had recorded a video in advance claiming responsibility on behalf of Hamas for the planned attack, even before it had taken place.
According to reports in Germany and Britain, he appeared in the recording wearing a mask.
Britain's The Guardian reported that the plot was foiled after Israel's Mossad provided intelligence to German security services.
Al-Fatah was arrested in the UK in November 2025 under a German arrest warrant. He is now expected to face extradition proceedings to Germany after serving whatever sentence is imposed on him in Britain.
British jury unaware of alleged Hamas connections
One of the most unusual aspects of the Birmingham trial was that jurors were never told about Al-Fatah's suspected Hamas connections, his alleged position within the organization, or the German prosecution's allegations that he had helped plan terrorist attacks against Jews.
The judge also instructed jurors to consider Al-Fatah a person of previous good character because he had no prior criminal convictions in Britain.
However, at the time of the attack, Al-Fatah was already under surveillance by a British counterterrorism unit. He had previously been arrested and released on bail on suspicion of an offense related to supporting Hamas.
That investigation was later closed without charges being filed.
The case has also raised questions in Britain about how Al-Fatah was granted political asylum and subsequently obtained British citizenship.
According to The Times, the British Home Office is reviewing his naturalization file to determine whether he provided false information or concealed relevant details during the application process.
In response to the case, the Home Office said there was no place in British society for those who resort to violence or seek to facilitate terrorist attacks against innocent people.
It also emphasized that Hamas is a proscribed terrorist organization in the UK and that the government condemns anyone who chooses to support its activities or further its objectives.