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UK Gave Citizenship to Hamas Chief's Guard, Then He "Plotted Terror"
(Sunday Times-UK) Gabriel Pogrund - A former bodyguard to the leader of Hamas secured asylum and citizenship in Britain before "plotting" a terrorist attack against Jews in Europe. Mr. X, who cannot be named for legal reasons, served in the personal security team of Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, before moving to the UK more than a decade ago. At the time he was awarded refugee status, it was public knowledge that he had worked for Haniyeh, was the son of another senior Hamas official, and had been arrested in Egypt for operating a tunnel used to smuggle firearms and gold into Gaza. Yet Mr. X, in his 40s, was granted sanctuary and able to operate under deep cover as an IT consultant living in the suburbs of a large English city. Today, he faces extradition to Germany where he is accused of being a leading figure in a plot to attack Jewish community centers, Israeli diplomats and pro-Israel demonstrations there or in neighboring Austria last October. Mr. X is accused of transporting weapons including handguns and live ammunition to a storage facility in Vienna, according to a German indictment. The indictment says he pre-recorded a video in which he appeared masked and armed in front of a Hamas flag, describing the planned attack as an act of retribution on behalf of the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades. Over the previous two decades, the UK had become a destination for leaders of Hamas and the Islamist group from which it evolved, the Muslim Brotherhood.