Man charged after trying to break into Israeli embassy in London carrying a knife
Abdullah Sabah Albadri, 33, was detained inside compound’s grounds, apparently wearing keffiyeh; police suspect him of terrorism offense and possession of bladed weapon
London’s police force charged a man Wednesday with a terror offense after he was detained trying to enter the grounds of the Israeli Embassy while in possession of what appeared to have been a knife of some sort.
The Foreign Ministry said that a knife-wielding individual had attempted to break into the premises of the Israeli embassy in London on Monday “with the intent to carry out an attack.”
“Local security forces prevented the intrusion into embassy grounds and apprehended the attacker,” the ministry said in a statement released Wednesday. “All embassy staff are safe, and no damage was caused to the embassy.”
Police said they charged Abdullah Sabah Albadri, 33, with terrorism offenses and possession of a bladed weapon.
“We remain in close contact with those based at the Embassy of Israel, and we appreciate that these charges will be concerning to them,” said Commander Dominic Murphy, head of London police’s Counter Terrorism Command.
“I would like to reassure the public, however, that from our enquiries so far, we are not seeking anyone else in connection with this matter and we do not believe there is any wider threat to the public.”
Albadri was due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court later on Wednesday.
The incident took place on Monday shortly before 6 p.m. when officers from the Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command became aware of a man attempting to gain unauthorized access to the embassy’s grounds in Kensington in west London, police said.
Murphy said that inquiries so far indicated that no one else was involved and that there was no wider threat to the public. “Although the man has now been charged, we continue with our investigation and would urge the public not to speculate further at this time,” he said.
The intruder wore a Palestinian keffiyeh, and “managed to get very close to where staff members were,” an unnamed source told the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper in a Tuesday report.
“They need to investigate exactly how someone was able to get that close – it is one of the most secure roads in the country and should be one of the most secure buildings,” the source added. “He got in between a space in between the building and Palace Green, so could have got to someone to attack them certainly.”
Since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught sparked the war in Gaza, several Israeli embassies have been the target of attacks.
In October, the Swedish intelligence agency Sapo said that Iran may have been involved in explosions and gunfire around Israeli embassies in Sweden and Denmark earlier that week.
In May, gunshots were fired outside the Israeli embassy in Stockholm, which prompted the country to boost security measures around Israeli interests and Jewish community institutions. In January, the bomb squad in Sweden destroyed a “live” device at Israel’s embassy, something authorities described as a potential “terrorist crime.”
In June, a man shot a police officer in the neck with a crossbow outside the Israeli embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, and in March 2024, a burning object was thrown at Israel’s embassy in The Hague.
In February, there was a bomb scare at the official residence of the Israeli ambassador in The Hague. Police cordoned off the area but found no explosives.
The Times of Israel Community.