Ministers are facing questions over reports an alleged Palestinian gunman illegally crossed the Channel on a small boat.
According to the Mail on Sunday, Abu Wadee is a former key member of a militant group who has called for the slaughter of all Jews and posed with AK-47s.
Wadee, who is believed to be in his mid-30s and from the city of Khan Yunis in Gaza, is thought to have been one of the 235 migrants picked up on four small boats in the Channel on Thursday morning.
The newspaper alleges that although he fled Gaza before the October 7 attacks in 2023, he appears to have been a prominent member of the so-called “Tyre-Burning Unit”, a militant group of Palestinian extremists who before the outbreak of war are believed to have regularly hurled fire-bombs and rocks at Israeli forces manning the border with Gaza.
Asked about the alleged gunman on GB News’ Camilla Tominey show, shadow home secretary Chris Phil claimed he would be raising the case with ministers.
He said: “I’ll certainly be asking the Home Office that question.
“What the Home Office needs to do is identify where this despicable individual is and, frankly, remove him from the country back to Palestine immediately.
“He clearly has no place in the United Kingdom and potentially poses a threat to our fellow citizens. This just illustrates why it is so important to get control of our borders and to stop these boat crossings.”
A spokesperson for the Home Office declined to comment on individual cases but said “the British public can be reassured that we take all steps necessary at all times to protect the nation’s security”.
According to the Mail on Sunday, Wadee posted a video on his Facebook page last September in which he is filmed calling for Allah to “punish (Jews) completely”.
He is alleged to have said: “Allah, it is upon you to (deal with) the Jews and those loyal to them.
“Allah, kill them one by one, and don’t leave a single one. Allah, destroy them completely, disperse them completely and make the earth fall from under their feet.”
A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, from a Border Force vessel following a small boat incident in the Channel (Gareth Fuller/PA)
In another picture posted on Facebook in March 2021, it is claimed Wadee stared into the camera while smoking a cigarette and brandishing an assault rifle with a telescopic sight.
The Mail claimed Wadee has large following on social media, where his TikTok videos attract up to 2.5 million views.
He is alleged to have charted his journey from Gaza on the social media channel, including posting footage of his dinghy being approached by the Border Force vessel.
As part of his journey across Europe, he posted a picture of himself in Brussels on Valentine’s Day, and then in central Paris earlier last week.
According to the latest Home Office data, 174 migrants were picked up on three small boats in the Channel on Saturday.