Investigation: UAE-funded mercenary targeted British activist in covert London operation

LONON, Aug. 22 (YPA) – A mercenary working on behalf of the United Arab Emirates carried out a covert surveillance operation against prominent British Muslim activist Anas Altikriti in London, British media outlets have revealed.

 According to an investigation, Abraham Golan, a Hungarian-Israeli dual citizen and former French Foreign Legion soldier, travelled to London in December 2016 while being paid by the UAE.

Golan headed Spear Operations Group, a private security company that had previously recruited Western military veterans for operations in Yemen.

According to financial records, correspondence, and witness testimonies reviewed in the investigation, Golan—a security contractor previously linked to operations conducted on behalf of the UAE in Yemen—compiled detailed intelligence on Altikriti. The gathered information reportedly included photographs of his home and vehicle, location maps, and tracking of his daily routines. Golan also offered financial compensation to a British intermediary to assist in locating Altikriti.

 Most critically, testimonies cited in the investigation indicate that discussions escalated beyond surveillance to explore the possibility of physically liquidating Altikriti. However, the report noted no conclusive evidence proving that the UAE government formally ordered an assassination or attempted an extrajudicial killing on British soil.

 Metropolitan Police officers later visited Altikriti to warn him of a potential threat to his life, according to the report. Golan subsequently departed the United Kingdom. The revelations have reopened questions regarding the international scope and reach of security operations linked to the UAE beyond the Middle East.

@E.Y.M