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

A man arrested as he climbed a fence to get into the Israeli embassy in London carrying two knives had twice arrived on a small boat from France, a jury has heard.

Abdullah Albadri is on trial at the Old Bailey, charged with preparing terrorist acts and possession of two knives.

The 34-year-old, who denies the charges, was arrested outside the Israeli embassy on 28 April last year by two armed diplomatic protection officers who had seen him trying to scale the 8ft (2.4m) high fence.

A couple of hours earlier he had messaged his mother "I chose the path of martyrdom", the prosecution said.

Catherine Pattison, for the prosecution, told the jury that "as well as two knives, police seized several pieces of paper. The prosecution said that the contents of one read as a martyrdom note – a note written by someone who intends to die, or expects to be killed, in the pursuit of a specific religious, political or ideological cause."

He had sent a picture of the note to his mother via WhatsApp, the prosecution said.

Albadri first arrived in the UK by small boat from France on 5 August 2021, but by November 2023 he had left the country, the prosecution said.

He re-entered the UK on 12 April last year, again by small boat. He was given temporary accommodation at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Basingstoke, Hampshire.

In a draft email, that the prosecution said was recovered from this phone, he said he was a "human rights activist" who had been arrested in Kuwait. He said his life and his family's lives were being threatened.

Over the next few days Albadri was in contactwith charities who help asylum seekers, including Migrant Help and Care4Calais, and he met with members of the Kuwaiti community in London.

But Pattison told the jury: "Mr Albadri's intention was not just focused on his application. The prosecution say he had other matters on his mind - matters far more sinister."

On 24 April, less than two weeks after his arrival in the UK he was searching for the Israeli embassy on his phone, and he was looking up religious law about suicide, the prosecution said.

On the morning of 28 April - the day he was arrested at the embassy - he was still in touch with the charities about his asylum application.

But at 15:30 in the afternoon he sent a picture of a handwritten note to his mother, the prosecution said. In the picture next to the note was a knife with a red and white handle, the prosecution said.

The note ends "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 said "this is the note that would have been found with his dead body. A note written by him. A note written by him at a time when he intended to die, or expected to be killed in his pursuit of a specific religious, political or ideological cause."