Convicted terrorist is operating as a pro-Gaza metropolis councillor | UK | News | EUROtoday

A Muslim activist who was jailed for his half in an armed terror plot is standing to turn into a Birmingham councillor in May.

Shahid Butt obtained a five-year jail time period in 1999 after being convicted of conspiring to launch bomb assaults on the British consulate, an Anglican church and a Swiss-owned resort in Yemen.

Prosecutors in Yemen claimed the group had been dispatched to hold out violence by Abu Hamza, the hate preacher, who was the daddy of one of many convicted males.

Mr Butt has been revealed as a candidate for an alliance of independents making ready to struggle for roughly 20 seats within the Birmingham metropolis council election on May 7.

Labour is braced for one more backlash from Muslim voters in May over the occasion’s stance on Israel, with pro-Gaza independents anticipated to make good points.

Mr Butt will signify the Independent Candidates Alliance, which has been arrange by activists Akhmed Yakoob and Shakeel Afsar.

The pair each competed for seats within the second metropolis in the course of the 2024 normal election on a pro-Gaza platform.

Mr Butt was invited to remark by the Express by way of the e-mail of a neighborhood group.

Candidate to struggle seat in closely Pakistani ward

Mr Butt will battle for the Sparkhill ward, a constituency the place practically two-thirds of the inhabitants has Pakistani heritage.

Speaking in a video asserting his candidacy, he stated: “With the help of Allah, with your support and with these guys behind me, I know we are going to take this.”

During an interview with the Birmingham Mail, he acknowledged having “made mistakes” in his youth however maintained his innocence over his terror conviction.

He claimed his confession to being a part of a terror gang had been extracted by means of torture and proof towards him was “planted”.

After strolling free from jail in 2003, Mr Butt reworked himself right into a campaigner towards extremism.

Former gang member fought ‘skinheads’ in youth

During his earlier years, he had additionally belonged to a neighborhood gang of predominantly Pakistani youths that clashed with “skinheads” and travelled to Bosnia and Afghanistan.

Questioned about his connections to violent teams throughout his youth, the 60-year-old expressed remorse over his actions and defined he had been aggrieved about racism.

He stated: “I am not an educated person, as a kid all I heard was ‘f— off back to where you came from’ and ‘P—‘ and I got angry and bitter and the only way I could deal with it was by lashing out.”

“I was not able to communicate or deal with this differently. I’m a big guy, I’ve done martial arts, street fighting, and so I found that very easy. I did not develop intellectually until later. I was idealistic.”

Backed protests towards Israeli soccer crew

Mr Butt supported requires protests towards Israeli soccer facet Maccabi Tel Aviv when it performed Aston Villa final yr. He urged “every single” native Muslim to attend.

In remarks reported by the Jewish Chronicle, he stated: “I want the Palestinians to see the clips on their TikToks in Palestine, in Gaza, of Birmingham Muslims … standing there in solidarity.”

He additionally urged demonstrators to not take weapons to the march, saying there needs to be “no knives, no guns, no machetes, nothing”.

He additionally backed efforts by Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, who’s a Birmingham MP, to cease the boats crossing the Channel.

He instructed the Birmingham Mail: “I also don’t want any Tom, Dick or Harry coming over and living in our communities when we don’t know who they are. That is not being racist, that is being a good British citizen.”