Haniyeh bodyguard granted UK asylum, planned Europe attack

A former bodyguard of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political bureau chief eliminated in Tehran in 2024, was granted political asylum and British citizenship in 2015, and last year planned an attack on Jewish targets in Europe timed for the second anniversary of the October 7 massacre, the Sunday Times reported Saturday night.

The bodyguard, identified throughout the report only as "Mr X" for legal reasons, served in Haniyeh's security detail from 2006, when Hamas won elections in Gaza and later seized control of the Strip, according to security sources and evidence obtained by the paper.

Between 2009 and 2012, "X" passed through Egypt and was arrested there after being linked to the operation of a tunnel used to smuggle weapons and gold into Gaza, the report said. He left the Strip in 2012, and his movements after that are unknown until he arrived in Britain.

Citizenship despite the record

Despite his known background, he applied for refugee status in 2015, received approval from the British Home Office to remain in the country, and after settling with his wife and children was granted British citizenship, the Sunday Times reported.

The paper said "X" operated under cover as a computer consultant and lived in the suburbs of a major English city. He changed his name several times and presented an outward appearance of ordinary life, attending anti-Israel demonstrations, rating businesses online and setting up companies.

He was arrested in London last November after the Mossad and German intelligence services discovered he was planning to attack Jewish community centres, Israeli diplomats and pro-Israel demonstrations in Germany or Austria.

Cell of seven suspects

In a joint operation by Germany, Austria, Denmark and Britain, a cell of seven suspects was arrested, and an AK-47 rifle and ammunition were seized, according to the report. In Germany, "X" is accused of smuggling weapons, including handguns and ammunition, to a storage facility in Vienna.

The report said he recorded a video in which he appeared masked and armed alongside a Hamas flag, describing the planned attack as an "act of revenge" in the name of the terror organisation's military wing. A law enforcement source said he was a "vital" figure in the planning.

In the indictment, obtained for the first time by Germany's Bild, in July 2025 he allegedly transferred five handguns, ammunition, woollen hats and gloves from Berlin to Vienna. A month later, he allegedly received 100 rounds of ammunition, and several weeks after that one of his associates obtained a Yugoslav-model Kalashnikov, eight handguns and 600 bullets.

At one of the locations raided by police, the video filmed by "X" was found, and the report said it appeared to have been shot in Vienna. In it, he said the attack would mark the second anniversary of October 7, which helped German authorities understand his motive and timing.

Among those arrested were two German citizens, three Lebanese, a Bulgarian citizen and a Danish citizen, the report said. It is unclear whether he intended to participate directly in the attack, which was allegedly planned for Berlin or Vienna.

One source quoted in the Sunday Times report described "X" as a "senior asset" of Hamas, and said he used his British passport to visit Turkey and Qatar, which are known to host the organisation's leaders and serve as centres for its activity.

If convicted, "X" will serve a prison sentence in Britain and then face extradition to Germany. Though the report did not detail exactly how the attackers' plans were thwarted, it said one of the suspects was an "asset" of German intelligence who "went rogue" and concealed information about the scope of his role.