A small boat migrant, armed with two knives, tried to break into the Israeli embassy in London to “exact revenge” for the killing of children in Gaza, a trial has heard.
Abdullah Albadri, 34, who was born in Kuwait, is accused of planning a terror attack in Palace Green, Kensington, on 28 April 2025, the Old Bailey was told on Wednesday.
Catherine Pattison, prosecuting, said Albadri, who had a red-and-white scarf wrapped around his head and face, jumped onto an 8ft fence and tried to enter the embassy grounds.
Ms Pattison said Albadri was “almost successful in his attempt to scale the fence”. Had it not been for the armed diplomatic protection officers there to reach up and grab him, he would have been, she said.
He later told police “that he wanted to send a message, to stop the killing of children, to stop the war”, which prosecutors said was a reference to the Israel-Palestine conflict, the court heard.
Jurors were told that police officers seized several pieces of paper, including one which “read as a martyrdom note”.
In a prepared statement to police, Albadri denied that he was preparing to commit an act of terrorism. He said that the knives were intended for “personal use” as he was homeless.
“The prosecution say that Mr Albadri’s intention was to use or threaten serious violence against the Israeli government, to exact revenge for its alleged murder of children,” Ms Pattison said.
“The existence and contents of his suspected martyrdom note, along with his possession of two knives, and material downloaded from his mobile phone, demonstrate his intention to use violence against people inside the Israeli embassy and sacrifice his own life in the process – to die, in his words, ‘for the glory of God’.
“Thus, say the prosecution, this was an act of terrorism intended by him.
“His intended threat or use of serious violence was designed to influence the Israeli government, for the purpose of advancing a religious, political or ideological cause.”
The court heard that Albadri first entered the UK in August 2021, arriving at Dover in a small boat from France.
He applied for permission to stay in the country, but did not attend an interview with the Home Office.
The defendant then left the country, but returned on a small boat from France in April 2025.
Albadri denies preparation of terrorist acts and possession of two bladed articles. The trial continues.
