Man charged over 'threat to behead' protester who set Koran alight outside Turkish consulate
A man who allegedly threatened to behead a protester who set a Koran alight has been remanded in custody.
Muhammad Naasir Attaari, 49, was charged with threatening to kill Hamit Coskun after he burned the Muslim holy book outside the Turkish consulate in London on February 13.
He is accused of telling an Asda employee that he would behead Coskun and he was later arrested after the staff member reported him to the police, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Mr Attaari, originally from Blackburn, Lancashire, appeared in Westminster Magistrates' Court, wearing a white cap and a black hoodie and entered no pleas.
He is also charged with three counts of possessing a bladed article in a public place.
'With regard to the threats to kill, it has taken place at an Asda store,' Prosecutor Rizwan Amin told the court.
'A member of staff approached him and interacted with this defendant.
'On one particular occasion, there was dialogue between both parties, in particular that someone had burned a Koran, the holy book.'
District Judge John Zani told him: 'You face a number of serious offences too serious to be dealt with in this court.'
He was remanded in custody and his case was sent to Isleworth Crown Court where he will appear on July 10.
Coskun, 50, was convicted of a religiously aggravated public order offence earlier this month in Westminster Magistrates' Court after setting fire to a copy of the Koran.
He shouted 'f*** Islam', 'Islam is religion of terrorism' and 'Koran is burning' while holding the flaming Islamic text above his head, and was ordered to pay £240 as a result of his conviction.
He was found guilty of a public order offence motivated by 'hostility towards members of a religious group, namely followers of Islam'.
Coskun was also convicted of using disorderly conduct 'within the hearing or sight of a person likely to have caused harassment, alarm or distress', contrary to the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
22 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Family of charity hero found stabbed to death by crew investigating a gas explosion pay tribute to 'truly wonderful woman'
The family of a charity hero who was found stabbed to death after a gas blast at her £1.4million home has described her as a 'truly wonderful woman'. Relatives of 46-year-old Annabel Rook say they are still struggling to come to terms with her death after she was found with knife wounds on Tuesday inside her two-storey Victorian-style home in Dumont Road, Stoke Newington, north-east London. Ms Rook worked for charity MamaSuze CIC, which she co-founded, that supported refugee and migrant women, some who had fled domestic violence, with art and drama activities. In a statement issued via the Metropolitan Police, her family said: 'We have lost our beautiful daughter, sister, friend and mother. Annabel was a truly wonderful woman. 'She touched the hearts of so many. She gave her life to helping the vulnerable and the disadvantaged whether it was in refugee camps in Africa or setting up MamaSuze in London, to enhance the lives of survivors of forced displacement and gender-based violence. 'We would really appreciate it if our privacy could be respected.' A 44-year-old man was arrested at the address on suspicion of murder and was taken to hospital with slash wounds. He was later discharged and released into police custody, the force said, with Scotland Yard previously describing the Ms Rook's death as 'a domestic-related incident'. John Martin, artistic director of PAN Intercultural Arts, where Ms Rook worked with young refugees for 16 years until 2022, previously described her as 'a larger-than-life character' who joined the charity as a volunteer with lots of energy. In a personal tribute, Mr Martin said: 'Annabel's energy brought a lot to the women and gave them new hope. 'This was her speciality, I think - a sort of a boundless optimism, a boundless self-confidence, which she transferred onto other people.' 'She spent her life, certainly the 10, 12 years that I knew her, fighting against women who had been abused, fighting against violence to women, and the irony is that she then suffered from violence to women in the way that she died yesterday,' he said. MamaSuze said in a statement shared on its Instagram page on Tuesday that it was 'devastated by the loss of our beloved co-founder' and that she treated everyone with 'warmth and kindness'. 'Annabel was a profound force for good in the world, dedicating her working life to supporting women survivors,' it added. Police were called at 4.57am on Tuesday to reports of a gas explosion with a person trapped inside the property. The front bay window of the property was completely blown out that morning, with debris including plants, wooden shutters and glass scattered across the street. Two children, aged seven and nine, were also taken to hospital as a precaution following the incident but are not thought to have been inside the home when the explosion happened. Six fire engines and 40 firefighters were also called to the scene. Anyone with information that could assist the investigation into the incident has been urged to contact police on 101 quoting CAD 926/17June. Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
BBC News
31 minutes ago
- BBC News
Driver arrested after woman killed in crash in Caerau, Maesteg
A 58-year-old woman has been killed after being hit by a car in Bridgend woman from Caerau was struck while walking along Caerau Road in Maesteg at about 00:40 on Sunday and died soon after.A 73-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by careless/inconsiderate Wales Police is appealing for information.
BBC News
42 minutes ago
- BBC News
Man in his 20s dies after collision in Weston-super-Mare
A man in his 20s has died following a two-vehicle collision. Avon and Somerset Police said the crash happened at about 23:35 BST on 20 June in Uphill Road North in Weston-super-Mare. The force said a red Audi A3 was heading towards Uphill when it collided with a purple Mercedes C240 travelling in the opposite direction, near the junction for Moorland Audi driver sustained serious injuries and died in hospital on Saturday. Police said the Mercedes driver, aged in his 50s, was taken to hospital but his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening or Road North was closed to allow for an investigation and recovery work but reopened on Saturday morning. Anybody who witnessed the collision is asked to contact the force.
