Man arrested climbing into Israeli embassy had arrived on small boat twice, court hears

Man Arrested at Israeli Embassy in London Had Entered UK Twice by Small Boat, Court Learns

A London-based Israeli embassy arrest involved a man carrying two knives, who had previously crossed from France twice by small boat, according to court testimony. Abdullah Albadri, 34, is on trial at the Old Bailey, facing charges of planning terrorist acts and possessing knives. He denies the allegations, though the prosecution argues his actions were deliberate.

On 28 April last year, Albadri was detained outside the embassy by two armed diplomatic officers who observed him attempting to scale an 8-foot-high fence. The incident followed a message he sent to his mother hours earlier, stating,

“I chose the path of martyrdom.”

The prosecution claims police found several documents on him, including a handwritten note described as a martyrdom directive—a statement from someone aiming to die or anticipate death for a religious, political, or ideological cause.

Albadri’s first arrival in the UK via small boat occurred on 5 August 2021, but he left by November 2023. He returned on 12 April last year, again using a small boat. Temporary shelter was provided at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Basingstoke, Hampshire. A draft email recovered from his phone referred to him as a “human rights activist” who had been detained in Kuwait, citing threats to his and his family’s safety.

Days after re-entering the UK, Albadri engaged with asylum support organizations like Migrant Help and Care4Calais, and met with members of the Kuwaiti community in London. However, Catherine Pattison, the prosecution’s lead, emphasized that his intentions extended beyond asylum applications.

“Mr Albadri’s focus was not just on his application. The prosecution asserts he had other objectives—more dangerous ones.”

By 24 April, he had researched religious laws on suicide via his phone, according to the prosecution.

On the day of his arrest, Albadri continued communicating with charities about his case. In the afternoon, he shared a photo of the note with his mother, alongside a knife with a red-and-white handle. The note concluded,

“I will not go back on my decision to go in the cause of Allah, to come out for His sake and to stand up to the enemies in order to support the religion of Allah Almighty.”

Pattison stated,

“This is the note that would have been discovered with his dead body. A note written by him, expressing intent to die or expect death in pursuit of a specific cause.”

During the arrest, Albadri told officers,

“I got my weapons” and pointed to his pockets. “I wanna make a crime inside there, why are you stopping me? Why are you stopping from making crimes?”

Later, he remarked,

“Why didn’t you let me in? I didn’t do what I wanted to do.”

The confrontation was recorded on body-worn cameras.

After being taken to Hammersmith Police Station, a sergeant asked Albadri,

“When you leave custody, you’re not going to hurt yourself, are you?”

He responded,

“I’m gonna go back yeah.”

When asked where, Albadri said,

“The embassy.”

The prosecution maintains his knife possession was unrelated to the embassy incident, but the case hinges on his alleged plans for a terrorist act.