A self-styled “keyboard warrior” who threatened Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with a knife emoji on social media after the October 7 Hamas atrocity has appeared at the Old Bailey to be sentenced.

Accountant Mohammed Nafees Ahmed, 32, dedicated his X account to Gaza and Israel after the terrorist attack on Israel last autumn, the Old Bailey heard.

On Thursday, the defendant, from Tipton in the West Midlands, appeared at the court to be sentenced after pleading guilty to eight charges of supporting a proscribed terrorism organisation.

Opening the facts, prosecutor Peter Ratliff said the charges related to a five-month period when Nafees Ahmed posted messages of an “antisemitic, violent and threatening nature”.

At the time, the defendant had 19 followers but his account was open for anyone on the X platform to view, he said.

Last October 8, then-foreign secretary James Cleverly condemned the Hamas attack.

In a response viewed 22 times, the defendant stated: “Your fool, long live Palestine long live hamas (sic)”.

Last October 11, Nafees Ahmed posted a message seen 15 times stating: “Wipe them off the map. Death to Israel and America.”

He rejected as “lies fake news” an Israeli report that terrorists had gone from house to house murdering entire families.

Other statements included “Long live Hamas, long live Palestine” and a call to “eradicate every Zionist”, the court heard.

Last November 13, then-home secretary Suella Braverman complained about the then-prime minister’s failure to address antisemitism and extremism on the streets of the UK following the October 7 atrocities.

In a post seen 13 times, the defendant replied: “You still alive you witch.”

Last November 29, he reacted to a post by US president Joe Biden by writing “Parish Juda”, meaning death to Jews.

In another offensive post, he called deputy president Kamala Harris a “crackhead cocnut (sic)”, the court was told.

Last December 8, he went on to address Labour leader Sir Keir, saying: “You Zionist, your time will come (knife icon).”

He taunted the Metropolitan Police to “come and arrest me”, describing the force as “a bunch of clowns”.

On January 12, he replied to a post by broadcaster Piers Morgan with offensive swear words and telling him: “If your 3ver s3en in London 1m (knife emoji) str8 in your throat (sic).”

Following his arrest on March 20, the defendant initially made no comment before accepting a device was his and providing the access code.

Mr Ratliff said the defendant had claimed he acted after being “distressed” by images of children killed in Gaza, when at the time he began offending it was Hamas that was killing children.

He went on: “Having regard to his use of a knife icons threatening politicians, a Jewish religious leader and broadcaster in the context of advocating attacks on Israel it is open to conclude the defendant has terrorist motivations.”

The defendant, who has no previous convictions, was charged with supporting a proscribed organisation on September 16.

On October 2, Nafees Ahmed pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court to eight charges of expressing support for a proscribed organisation between October 2023 and March 2024.

In mitigation, David Martin-Sperry said the defendant acknowledged his actions were “misguided and ill thought out”, describing himself as an “idiot”.

The married father had worked as an accountant during the week and a pharmacy delivery driver at weekends, the court was told.

Mr Martin-Sperry said Nafees Ahmed’s “complete lapse of judgment” came about as a result of seeing images of injured children and he knew little about the organisation he was purporting to support.

The defence lawyer said: “He emphasises he does not see himself as being in any way antisemitic. That is his view when asked about it. He was perfectly clear. He took the position he did on seeing photos and articles presenting injuries to children.

“He has no connections with the part of the Middle East which has been so torn recently.”

On the defendant identifying himself as a “keyboard warrior”, the barrister said he was “in no sense a warrior against anybody on any score” and had been a “good person”.

Mr Martin-Sperry added: “He has contemplated his whole future during the last nine months since his arrest. The real and enduring despair his own actions have caused him cannot be under-estimated.”

It was a “wholly exceptional case”, the lawyer asserted: “He was not brought up to support one side or another in the Palestine conflict.

“He came to it entirely as a result of the postings that he saw relating to children that simply had an effect on him and caused him to stop thinking.

“He is deeply ashamed of his act of idiocy.”

Judge Nigel Lickley will sentence Nafees Ahmed from 2pm.

Faith Matters was commissioned by the Department of Communities and Local Government to undertake a review of chaplaincy services within Muslim communities in the United Kingdom. Faith Matters undertook a detailed review of organisations, chaplaincy training providers and Muslim theological institutions in order to find out about the developing profession of chaplaincy for Muslim communities. The detailed findings of a year long work can be found through this report and it outlines the development of pastoral services within different sectors:

DCLG commissioned Faith Matters to promote and show good practice within different sectors who were employing Muslim chaplains. A generic guideline on standards for the recruitment of Muslim chaplains was produced for those sectors and institutions who may require such a resource.

The guidelines could not be more prescient than it is now. Chaplaincy development with Muslim chaplains is developing and guidelines on good practice can only support chaplaincy development. Some sectors in the UK are well developed in the provision of Muslim chaplaincy whilst others are not so well developed and the guidelines would also promote existing best practice.

Link to Chaplains Report

This is a report that outlines the views of Muslim chaplains, sector leaders and Muslim communities as well as other faith communities on faith leadership. This work was undertaken over a 7 month period and took in a number of key organisations that work with Muslim and other faith communities. This is a unique report that looks at the provision of chaplaincy and pastoral care services within the following sectors: The NHS, Higher and Further Education sectors and the Prison Service.

The report also outlines the growing chaplaincy and pastoral skills base that is growing within Muslim communities and this is a mechanism through which all faiths can support people when they are going through traumatic or turbulent periods in their lives.

Support for chaplains working in universities, colleges, hospitals and prisons, is to be improved under new guidelines launched today.

The guidance The Role of Chaplains Working in Public Sector Institutions: Experiences from Muslim Communities, is funded by the Department of Communities and Local Government and written by Faith Matters. It draws on best practice of Muslim chaplains and their communities.

By setting out core standard skills, knowledge and training, the guidelines aim to support chaplains in caring for and protecting vulnerable people. These include students, prisoners or patients, who away from their homes and communities or experiencing sickness and bereavement, may be susceptible targets for extremists.
In recent years, public institutions and faith communities have done much work to formalise, professionalise and support the work of state chaplains. As a result, some institutions have rigorous structures in place, but many others are in need of further development.

To illustrate how the skills, knowledge and ability criteria, laid out in these guidelines can be involved in public institutions, the guidance uses a range of different case studies across hospitals, universities and colleges. One example of is of a hospital chaplain who combined his counselling skills and theological knowledge to reassure a mother giving birth that being seen by a male doctor is acceptable within the laws of Islam when life is in danger.
As the role of chaplain varies across institutions, this document sets out eight core competencies related to the spiritual, pastoral and emotional support role of chaplains. It also provides a ‘checklist’ that employers might wish to use to assess their recruitment processes and assess the suitability of candidates.

Speaking at the today’s launch, the author of the report Faith Matters director Fiyaz Mughal, said:
“This guidance is aimed at giving employers, the public and chaplains themselves, more confidence in the role of chaplaincy to make it pivotal to the way institutions work compassionately, fairly and safely.

“By providing better support to chaplains and their employers, through these guidelines, we can stop extremists preying in places, such as prisons, hospitals and universities. Here, many people are susceptible to extremism messages as they can frequently feel vulnerable, alone and confused.”
Welcoming the guidance, Communities Minister Shahid Malik said:
“Anyone working with vulnerable individuals is placed in a position of responsibility and trust. Employers, the public and chaplains themselves need to have the confidence that this work is being carried out effectively.

“The guidance is about supporting that by highlighting existing best practice and identifying potential skills gaps and training needs footing.

“Recent events have led to questions about the influences at work in some of our institutions. We know that chaplains are not the problem when it comes to tackling extremism but they can be part of solution. By offering the support, advice and theological guidance to individuals who may be attracted to a distorted view of religion or society they have an important role to play in ensuring that extremists do not gain any traction in our public institutions.”

Ends/

Notes to editors:

Click below for a copy of the report:

The role of chaplains in public sector institutions: Experiences from the Muslim sector

For further information or to arrange an interview with the organisation’s founder and director, Fiyaz Mughal OBE, please contact Holly Sutton This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or contact on: 07966280542

Notes
1)   This guide will be launched at the University of Westminster on 22 March – please e-mail: holly@journalista.co.uk if you wish to attend.

2.)   The guidance outlines a recruitment process that is:

• tailored to the needs of the institution and users
• open and transparent
• involves faith organisations and professional chaplaincy associations
• and details competencies that may be relevant to the chaplaincy role including:
• an ability to speak English to an appropriate level;
• a good understanding of the values and ways of working of British institutions;
• communication skills that enable difficult issues to be dealt with;
• a commitment to respecting the rights and beliefs of others and to working as part of a multi-faith team
• a respect for shared values of freedom of speech, respect for the rule of law equality of opportunity
• the ability to provide theological guidance to those who may be vulnerable to messages of violent extremism
• a commitment to supporting individuals who may be targeted by violent extremists.

3.)   Guidance on the recruitment and employment of Muslim chaplains currently   consists of existing HR practices and procedures within institutions and sectors.

4.)   This report forms a voluntary set of guidelines which will be distributed to institutions and to those who express an interest.
Interviews are available with:

• Fiyaz Mughal – author of the report. The director of Faith Matters, which works on interfaith, community cohesion and Prevent project
• Aaliyah Shaikh – female Muslim chaplain at St Mary’s Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
• Asghar Halim Rajput – male Muslim chaplain at Brunel University and director of Muslim Chaplains in Education
• Yusuf Kaplan – interfaith advisor and Muslim chaplain at Westminster University
• Yunus Dudhwala – head of Chaplaincy and Bereavement Services and Muslim chaplain at Newham University Hospital NHS Trust