A man who armed himself with two knives and attempted to force his way into the Embassy of Israel in Kensington has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years.
Abdullah Sabah Albadri, 34, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Monday, 5 October, after being found guilty of preparation of terrorist acts following a two-week trial.
On 28 April last year, Albadri tried to gain entry to the diplomatic premises in Kensington. His attempt was halted by armed officers from the Met’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command, who moved in before he could climb over the embassy gates.
Detectives from Counter Terrorism Policing London established that he intended to attack the embassy as an act of revenge over the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza. Body-worn camera footage captured him telling officers he had “weapons” and wanted to “make a crime” inside the building.
Officers found two knives with red-and-white handles in his pockets, along with a martyrdom note in which he wrote that he expected to die “for the glory of God”.
Analysis of his phone showed he had researched the embassy’s location in the days beforehand. CCTV recorded him walking from Kilburn in north-west London to Kensington, his head and mouth wrapped in a red-and-white scarf and wearing sunglasses. He had also searched Arabic terms connected to suicide and martyrdom during the five days before his arrest.
Those searches stood in stark contrast to his earlier browsing history, which had centred on his asylum status. He had entered the UK on a small boat from France on 12 April 2025, a little over two weeks before he appeared at the embassy gates.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of Counter Terrorism Policing London, praised the courage and professionalism of the officers who confronted him, saying the significant sentence reflected both the danger he posed on the day and his lack of remorse since his arrest. She noted that, remarkably, nobody was seriously injured despite the officers facing a man armed with knives and intent on carrying out a terrorist attack.
She added that the embassy had faced a number of security alerts in recent times, and said counter-terror officers work closely with the embassy and Met colleagues to keep protective security arrangements under constant review.
Albadri, a Kuwaiti national of no fixed abode, was convicted of one count of preparation of terrorist acts, contrary to section 5(1)(a) of the Terrorism Act 2006, and two counts of possession of a pointed or bladed article under the Criminal Justice Act 1988.
For the terrorism offence he was given life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years, plus 18 months to run concurrently for the knife offences. The Metropolitan Police confirmed the sentence in a statement issued on Monday.
Case timeline
- 12 April 2025: Albadri arrives in the UK on a small boat from France.
- 23 to 27 April 2025: He researches the embassy’s location on his phone and searches Arabic terms linked to suicide and martyrdom.
- 28 April 2025: Wearing a red-and-white scarf and sunglasses, he walks from Kilburn to Kensington and is arrested outside the Embassy of Israel carrying two knives and a martyrdom note.
- Autumn 2026: He is convicted after a two-week trial at the Old Bailey.
- 5 October 2026: He is sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years.
What a life sentence with a minimum term means
A life sentence does not end after 20 years. The minimum term, sometimes called the tariff, is the period the judge decides must be served as punishment before the Parole Board can even consider release. Once that point passes, the board assesses whether the prisoner still poses a danger to the public, and there is no guarantee of freedom: Albadri could remain behind bars for far longer.
Even if he is one day released, he would spend the rest of his life on licence, meaning he could be recalled to prison at any time if he breaches his conditions or is judged a risk. The sentence is designed to mark the gravity of the offending while keeping the public protected for as long as necessary.
