An Afghan migrant who threatened to kill Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (Reform UK) in a TikTok video has been found guilty at Southwark Crown Court. Fayaz Khan, 26, was convicted on Friday afternoon by a majority verdict of 10 jurors to two after deliberations lasting 11 hours and 55 minutes.
Khan made the threat between 12 and 15 October last year through a video posted on the social media platform. The Afghan national had arrived in the UK by small boat and operated a popular TikTok account under the username "madapasa" that attracted hundreds of thousands of views.
The threatening video
The sequence began when Farage uploaded a YouTube video on 12 October titled "the journey of an illegal migrant" which highlighted Khan. The video referenced "young males of fighting age coming into our country about whom we know very little".
Khan responded two days later with a TikTok video containing explicit threats. In the video, he said: "Englishman Nigel, don't talk shit about me. You not know me. I come to England because I want to marry with your sister. You not know me. Don't talk about me more. Delete the video. I'm coming to England. I'm going to pop, pop, pop."
While saying "pop, pop, pop" Khan made gun gestures with his hand and headbutted the camera. He also pointed to an AK-47 tattoo on his face to emphasise the seriousness of his threat.
Court evidence and reaction
Farage described Khan's video as "pretty chilling" when giving evidence on Tuesday. He told the court: "Given his proximity to guns and love of guns, I was genuinely worried. He says he's coming to England and he's going to shoot me."
The court saw additional evidence including a subsequent TikTok post by Khan with the caption "I mean what I say" written over an image of a GB News report about the alleged threat. Other social media videos showed Khan making similar "pop, pop, pop" sounds and hand gestures.
Trial arguments and verdict
Prosecutor Peter Ratliff argued the threat was "not some off-the-cuff comment" and described the video as "sinister and menacing". He told jurors that Khan was "a dangerous man with an interest in firearms" and added: "If you've got an AK-47 tattooed on your arm and your face, it's because you love AK-47s and you want the world to know that."
Defence lawyer Charles Royle countered that Khan was "remonstrating in his own idiosyncratic, moronic, comedic, eye-catching, attention-seeking way" rather than making a genuine threat to kill. Khan did not give evidence in his defence during the trial.
When interviewed by police on 1 November last year, Khan attempted to downplay his actions. He said: "It was never my intention to kill him or anything - this is my character, this is how I act in my videos. In every video I make those sounds, I say 'pop, pop pop'."
Legal consequences
Detective Constable Liam Taylor revealed that Khan had live-streamed his journey across the English Channel from France. Khan was arrested on 31 October after arriving in the UK on a small boat.
Khan will be sentenced on Tuesday at Southwark Crown Court for both the threat to kill conviction and for entering the UK illegally. Nicholas Coates of the Crown Prosecution Service said: "Khan not only entered the UK illegally - but made sinister threats against a Member of Parliament in plain view of thousands of followers. Elected politicians must be able to carry out their jobs free from the fear of harm or abuse, and we will make sure that those who seek to intimidate them face the full force of the law."
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
