Man accused of wearing headband in support of Hamas said it was a 'statement of faith'

Khaled Hajsaad, 24, was arrested at a pro-Palestine rally in London in November last year
PA Wire
William Warnes24 April 2024
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

A man accused of wearing a headband in support of Hamas told police it was a “statement of faith”, a court has heard.

Khaled Hajsaad, 24, who has been living in Birmingham, wore the clothing at a pro-Palestine rally in central London where he was arrested by police, prosecutors say.

The headband had the “Shahada” written on it – the basic statement of the Islamic faith, the court was told previously.

Hajsaad appeared at the City of London Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, where he denied the charge.

This is a Shahada, which is a statement of faith. I was wearing it because I am a Muslim and this is my statement of faith

Khaled Hajsaad

According to a transcript of a police interview with Hajsaad the day after he was arrested, the defendant told officers he was wearing a headband with a Saudi Arabian flag.

The document, which was read to the court by prosecutor Gareth Weetman, detailed how Hajsaad told police: “I was supporting Palestine and I was wearing an item of Saudi Arabia.

“This is a Shahada, which is a statement of faith.

“I was wearing it because I am a Muslim and this is my statement of faith.”

Hajsaad, described as an asylum seeker who arrived in the UK a year ago, said: “I don’t care about (Hamas). I don’t support (the group) and I have never supported (them).

“I came here to live in safety.”

Hajsaad is accused of wearing the clothing at Trafalgar Square on November 25 last year “in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion” he was supporting Hamas – an illegal act in the UK where it is designated a terrorist group.

Experts called to attend the court were split on the headband’s likeness to either the flag of Hamas or Saudi Arabia.

District Judge Nina Tempia adjourned the trial until Thursday.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in