Small boat migrant guilty of knife attack at Israeli embassy

A 34-year-old man, Abdullah Albadri, was convicted of preparing a terrorist knife attack after an attempt to scale the Israeli embassy railings in London while carrying two knives. Albadri had only recently arrived in the UK, having crossed from France by small boat just 16 days prior to the planned attack on 28 April 2025. This marked the second time in four years that he entered the country illegally by this method. During his arrest, officers noted his question: “Why are you stopping me from making crimes?”

On the day he was detained, Albadri had messaged his mother, stating, “I chose the path of martyrdom.” Following a jury deliberation lasting nearly 14 hours at London’s Old Bailey, he was found guilty of preparing terrorist acts and possessing bladed weapons. His actions appeared to be motivated by the conflict in Gaza. After his capture, he explained to officers his desire to “do something to stop the war” and specifically to halt violence against children.

Albadri described himself as a member of the stateless Bedoon community, born in Kuwait. Although his father, a police officer, supported his schooling, Albadri wasn’t able to pursue higher education due to his ethnicity. He became an activist and reportedly spent five years imprisoned in Kuwait. His first crossing into Britain by small boat took place in August 2021 when he applied for asylum. However, after re-entering last year, he was denied accommodation on the basis that his new claim was treated as a “further submission,” rendering him homeless and reliant on mosques and community members for shelter.

In the days leading up to the attack, Albadri searched for the Israeli embassy location and looked online for information on “suicide among enemies.” He had also copied a passage entitled “the benefit of martyrdom,” which was later found on his person. On the morning of 28 April, he sent his mother a photo of a handwritten note alongside a knife that read, “I will attack in the way of Allah and for the sake of being free from humiliation in this world,” urging her to be proud of his actions. After leaving his accommodation in Kilburn, he walked through London, praying during the hour it took him to reach the embassy in Kensington.

Upon arrival, Albadri dressed with a red and white Arabic scarf covering his head and sunglasses, approached the embassy’s 8-foot fence, saluted two armed diplomatic officers, and attempted to climb the railings. The officers, PC Nicholas Cox and PC Libby Chessor, quickly intervened, pulling him down and restraining him with the assistance of other officers, including one in plain clothes armed with a handgun. Throughout his detention, Albadri maintained a defiant stance, telling officers, “You remember me, I’m gonna come again,” and repeatedly questioned why they prevented him from carrying out his intended act. It was suggested during the trial that he might have sought to provoke a lethal response from law enforcement, a tactic known as “suicide by cop.” When questioned about his wish for an officer to use their firearm on him, he replied, “Yeah. Better than this.” The knives and the martyrdom note he had sent to his mother were recovered at the scene

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