Prison for ‘idiot’ Hamas supporter who called for death to Jews on social media
Accountant and self-styled 'keyboard warrior' Mohammed Nafees Ahmed posted knife emoji threat to Keir Starmer after accusing him of being a 'Zionist'
Lee Harpin is the Jewish News's political editor
An “idiot” Hamas supporter who threatened Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer with a knife emoji and branded him a “Zionist” before writing “your time will come” has been jailed for a year.
Accountant and self-styled “keyboard warrior” Mohammed Nafees Ahmed, 32, dedicated his X, formerly Twitter, account to Gaza and Israel after the Hamas terrorist attack in which more than 1,100 people were killed last October 7.
Last November 29, he reacted to a post by US president Joe Biden by writing “Parish Juda”, meaning death to Jews.
He advocated “jihad” and antisemitic violence in the UK and abroad and failed to heed warnings by his wife to stop.
Ahmed dedicated his X account to Gaza and Israel after the October 7th Hamas terrorist attack on Israel last autumn, the Old Bailey heard.
Last December Ahmed used a knife icon as he wrote of the Prime Minister Keir Starmer:“You Zionist, your time will come” after he spoke at a Chanukah event.
The defendant, from Tipton in the West Midlands, appeared at the court to be sentenced on Thursday 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 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.”
In another offensive post, he called deputy president Kamala Harris a “crackhead cocnut (sic)”, the court was told.
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.
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.
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