Haniyeh bodyguard granted UK asylum, later accused of plotting attacks on Jewish targ

A former bodyguard of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was granted asylum in Britain and later obtained British citizenship before allegedly helping plan attacks on Jewish targets in Europe ahead of the second anniversary of the October 7 massacre, The Sunday Times reported Saturday. The man, who is also the son of a senior Hamas figure, is identified throughout the report only as “Mr. X” because his name cannot be published for legal reasons. According to security sources and evidence obtained by the newspaper, X had been part of Haniyeh’s security detail since 2006, when Hamas won Palestinian legislative elections and later seized control of the Gaza Strip. The report said that between 2009 and 2012, X also passed through Egypt and was arrested there after being linked to the operation of a tunnel used to smuggle weapons and gold into Gaza. He left Gaza in 2012.