A Hamas supporter with a £600 a week cannabis habit has been jailed for nearly six years after he called for Jews to be ‘burnt alive’.
Zakir Hussain, 29, took to social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, to write a spate of anti-semitic posts over the three-month period.
The posts followed the rise in tensions between Israel and Palestine which has seen significant protesting in London.
Hussain first posted on X on 3 November 2023, less than a month after the 7 October attack by Hamas which saw over 1,000 Israelis killed.
He said: ‘Hezbullah come quick finish them like rodents.’
Later that month Hussain said ‘7 October was a beautiful day, Jews stop hiding.’
On 25 December 2023, he wrote: ‘October 7 was a beautiful day’, ‘In the UK, we are hunting them for fun’ and ‘Go on Hamas, finish them and maybe we can find the beheaded urine babies.’
The posting continued into January 2024, where Hussain said on 5 January: ‘I’m in London, any Jew out there come out and stand up for your religion.’
Four days later he posted: ‘Wish it was more in that festival slaughter them IDK terrorists, burn them alive’ in reference to the 7 October attack.
‘He also wrote ‘Long live Hamas, Hezbollah’ and ‘Hamas, Houthi, Hezbollah finish these little rats.’
His final post came on 10 January when he said: ‘Burn them alive, no religion can abuse children the way they do.’
Hussain admitted four counts of expressing support for a proscribed organisation and seven counts of stirring up racial hatred between 3 November 2023 and 10 January 2024.
Judge Anthony Leonard, KC said: ‘On 14 September 2023, you created an account on your social media platform now known as X on a username which could not be connected to you but which included a 9/11 reference.’
The judge said a pre-sentence report revealed Hussain was spending £600 a week on cannabis at the time of the offences.
Hussain refused to give his PIN to police but once they got into his phone, they found still images ‘indicative of a mindset that was supportive of Hamas.’
‘You are not being punished for your sympathy but for what your posts may have garnered support for a proscribed organisation,’ the judge continued.
Hussain believed 9/11 was a planned attack and that the US government knew about and allowed it to happen, the court heard.
Judge Leonard told Hussain he had ‘focused on hate speech instead of educating yourself.’
Hussain, who had a previous conviction for robbery in 2012, was jailed for five years and eight months, with an extended period on licence of three years.
Wearing a green t-shirt, he waved to the public gallery as he was led to the cells.
Hussain, of no fixed address, admitted four counts of expressing support for a proscribed organisation and seven counts of stirring up racial hatred between 3 November 2023 and 10 January 2024.
