UAE-funded mercenary targeted British activist in covert London operation, ITV reports

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, according to an investigation by ITV News.

ITV reports that 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 ITV, the London operation targeted Altikriti, a British academic, hostage negotiator and chief executive of the Cordoba Foundation.

Messages and documents reviewed by the broadcaster reportedly included photographs of Altikriti’s home and vehicle, details of his workplace and maps […]