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London Bridge charity gave £1.17m to group linked to charity facing Hamas investigation
Muslim Charities Forum received the funding despite its treasurer also leading a charity now under investigation over alleged Hamas links
A charity responsible for maintaining five of London’s best-known bridges awarded more than £1.1 million to a Muslim organisation whose treasurer also runs a charity being investigated over alleged links to Hamas.
City Bridge Foundation (CBF), which maintains Tower Bridge and London Bridge, gave £1.17 million to the Muslim Charities Forum (MCF) in 2023.
The funding has come under scrutiny after it emerged that MCF’s treasurer, Shuaib Yusaf, is also the chief executive of Al-Khair Foundation, which is being investigated by the Charity Commission over alleged links to the terrorist group.
According to the Daily Mail, the investigation follows the arrest of Mohammad Yousef Hasna, who worked for a charity partnering with Al-Khair to deliver humanitarian aid in Gaza.
Hasna was arrested in Britain on 31 July following an FBI investigation into allegations that millions of pounds intended for humanitarian relief were diverted to Hamas.
US prosecutors have charged him with conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, conspiring to finance terrorism and financing terrorism.
Investigators allege he communicated with a senior Hamas leader about diverting food parcels and money to the group.
Al-Khair Foundation has denied any involvement in funding terrorism and says it is cooperating fully with the Charity Commission’s investigation, launched on 5 August.
The Muslim Charities Forum also insisted that none of the money it received from City Bridge Foundation was passed to Al-Khair or any other member organisation.
It said the grants were used to support its own programmes in Britain, including training and assistance for grassroots charities working with disadvantaged communities in London.
Al-Khair paid £25,000 to become a member of MCF in 2024-25, but its membership has since been suspended pending the outcome of the investigation.
Yusaf has also voluntarily stepped back from his positions as treasurer, trustee and board member of MCF.
The revelations have raised questions about how City Bridge Foundation distributes its funds, particularly as several other Thames crossings remain closed or restricted because of their deteriorating condition.
The foundation, which has assets worth around £1.5 billion, was established more than 900 years ago to maintain London Bridge and now looks after five crossings.
Since 1995, it has also used surplus income to fund charitable projects across the capital.
Defending its spending, a spokesperson said: “Every grant application is checked robustly and monitored. We take active steps to ensure this funding is used for the benefit of the inhabitants of Greater London.”
Al-Khair Foundation strongly rejected any suggestion that it had benefited from the grant.
A spokesperson said: “Al-Khair Foundation categorically denies any links to, or funding of, proscribed organisations and is cooperating fully with the Charity Commission’s ongoing inquiry.”
They added: “Any suggestion of a connection between MCF’s funding from City Bridge Foundation and Al-Khair Foundation, or that any of those funds have been allocated to us, is entirely misleading.
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