A man with a knife attempted to infiltrate the Israeli embassy in London in what the Israeli diplomatic mission and the Metropolitan Police said was an attempted terrorist attack.
Abdullah Sabah Albadri, 33, was caught by the Met Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command attempting to enter the Kensington embassy grounds.
According to the Met, the suspect was arrested on suspicion of a public order offense, trespassing on a designated site, and possession of an offensive weapon. Albadri was charged on Wednesday with the preparation of a terrorist act and two counts of possession of a bladed weapon.
After Albadri’s arrest, Prosecutor Kristel Pous said, a “martyrdom note” was found in his possession, though she gave no further details.
She added that the suspect told police officers that he wanted to “send a message to the Israeli government to stop the war” in Gaza.
Albadri has no fixed address, according to the Met.
While the investigation is ongoing under the Met Counter Terrorism Command, unit head Commander Dominic Murphy said officers were not seeking any more suspects and didn’t think there was a wider threat to the public.
“We are in close contact with those based at the Embassy of Israel, and we appreciate that this arrest and the developing investigation will be of concern to them,” said Murphy. “We continue to carry out our investigation into this matter and would urge the public not to speculate further at this time.”
The Community Security Trust also said on social media on Wednesday that it was not aware of any related threats to the Jewish community.
Israeli embassy says no staff or visitors were harmed in the incident
The Israeli embassy thanked British security services on X/Twitter and informed the public that no staff or visitors had been harmed.
“The State of Israel and its diplomats have always been subjected to terror threats and even more so after October 7, 2023,” said the diplomatic mission. “The Embassy of Israel will not be deterred by any terror threat and will continue to represent Israel with pride in the UK.”
The Board of Deputies of British Jews said it was horrified to learn about the attempted terrorist attack and thanked British security services for their efforts.
“There can be no excuse for terrorism,” added the Board.