Failed asylum seeker found guilty of trying to break into London's Israeli embassy armed with two knives

A failed asylum seeker has been found guilty of trying to break into London's Israeli embassy to launch a knife attack.

Kuwait-born Abdullah Albadri, 34, was tackled by armed police after he leapt up an embassy fence armed with a pair of 10cm (four-inch) knives last May.

Jurors were told he had tried to get into the grounds in Kensington, west London, to "exact revenge" for the killing of children in Gaza.

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On Friday, a jury at the Old Bailey, which deliberated for nearly 14 hours, found him guilty of preparation of terrorist acts and possession of two bladed weapons.

Albadri was refused asylum after he twice entered the UK in small boats in 2021 and April 2025.

The defendant, who was born into the stateless Arabian Bedoon tribe, said he had been jailed and mistreated for campaigning for human rights in Kuwait.

On 28 April last year, he was seen on CCTV walking for an hour from Kilburn in northwest London to the embassy with his head covered by dark sunglasses and a distinctive red and white headscarf.

Jumped up the fence

After reaching the embassy just before 6pm, Albadri made a salute-like gesture and jumped up the 8-foot (2.4m) high metal fence.

Within seconds, two armed diplomatic protection officers reached up and grabbed the defendant, pulling him to the ground.

PC Libby Chessor told jurors it had been "challenging" pulling Albadri off the fence because he had been holding on "quite strongly".

Albadri was pinned down by officers and handcuffed before being searched.

'Got my weapons'

On police body-worn video shown in court, Albadri indicated he had "got my weapons".

Officers seized two red-handled 10cm knives with serrated blades along with pieces of paper including a "martyrdom note".

Albadri told police: "I wanna make a crime inside there, why are you stopping me?"

He went on to complain: "Why didn't you let me in?"

'Just a message'

Later, Albadri was heard on police body-worn video saying it was "just a message", before adding that: "They need to stop this f****** war on children.

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He denied preparing to commit an act of terrorism and said the knives were intended for "personal use" as he was homeless.

At trial, Albadri said he never wanted to harm anyone as it was "against my nature".

Defence barrister, Chris Henry KC, said Albadri had been in a "state of total despair" after his asylum claim was rejected, telling jurors the case "is about a human being in real distress and what is going on inside his head".

Following the verdict, Bethan David, head of the Crown Prosecution Service counter terrorism division, said Albadri "deliberately armed himself [and] concealed his identity", actions which she said, "were driven by an intention to use violence to make a political statement".

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