An Afghan migrant who came to the UK on a small boat has been jailed for five years after posting a TikTok video in which he threatened to kill Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.
Hundreds of thousands of viewers saw the “chilling” video Fayaz Khan, 26, posted last October, in which Southwark Crown Court heard he threatened to “pop pop pop” Mr Farage.
As he was sentenced, Khan yelled to the court that Mr Farage had initiated proceedings to “use me because you want to be prime minister”.
As he was taken down to the cells, he again shouted: “You want to be prime minister, I am not here because I want to kill you.
“I want to go back to Afghanistan, send me back to Afghanistan, my family is in Afghanistan.
“You want to use me because you want to be prime minister.
“Just because you want to do that you want to f*** my life, you want to put me in prison.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Farage ‘deeply, deeply concerned’
Outside the court, Mr Farage welcomed the sentence but said he was “deeply deeply concerned” Khan would be “out in 18 months”.
He added: “This violent criminal… will be in this country, living in a house of multiple occupancy or a hotel, free to walk the streets whilst his asylum claim is judged.”
‘Don’t talk s***’
Jurors had been told the TikTok content was posted in response to a video Mr Farage had uploaded to YouTube titled “the journey of an illegal migrant”, which highlighted Khan and referenced “young males of fighting age coming into our country about whom we know very little”.
Khan’s post appeared to say: “Englishman Nigel, don’t talk s*** 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.”
Nigel Farage said he was ‘genuinely worried’ after seeing Fayaz Khan’s TikTok video. Pic: PA
While Khan said “pop, pop, pop” he made “gun gestures with his hand”. He also headbutted the camera during the video and pointed to an AK-47 tattoo on his face to “emphasise he wasn’t joking”, jurors were told.
Khan had “live-streamed” his journey across the English Channel from France and was arrested on 31 October last year after arriving in the UK on a small boat, Detective Constable Liam Taylor told the court.
Mr Farage told the trial last week he found Khan’s video “pretty chilling”, adding: “Given his proximity to guns and love of guns, I was genuinely worried.”
‘Sorry’
Jurors deliberated for 11 hours and 55 minutes before finding him guilty.
During the sentencing hearing on Tuesday, Khan asked his lawyer Charles Royle to apologise to Mr Farage and the politician’s sister “for any offence and upset caused”.
Mr Farage, who arrived at court with security guards, was sitting just metres away from the defendant in the courtroom.
Known in Britain as Khan and 26 years old, prosecutor Peter Ratliff said that in Sweden – where Khan had lived previously – authorities believe he is called Fayaz Husseini and is 31.
The court heard it was thought he had given a false name in the UK to hide his Swedish criminal history, which included convictions for carrying a knife in a public place and threatening behaviour.
Mr Ratliff said records suggest Khan had been convicted of 17 offences on 12 separate occasions there.
Addressing the video from Mr Farage, sentencing judge Mrs Justice Steyn told Khan: “You saw the widespread dissemination of Mr Farage’s video as a hindrance to your attempts to come to the UK.”
Khan was also sentenced for entering the UK illegally having previously pleaded guilty to the offence.
