UAE-funded mercenary targeted British activist in London, report says

A mercenary allegedly hired and paid millions of dollars by the United Arab Emirates carried out a covert surveillance operation against a British activist and academic in London, according to an investigation by ITV News.

Abraham Golan, a dual Hungarian-Israeli citizen who ran the private security company Spear Operations Group, travelled to Britain in December 2016 to target Anas al-Tikriti, the chief executive of the London-based Cordoba Foundation think tank, ITV News reported on Wednesday.

Emirati financial records seen by ITV showed that Golan, who lived in the US, was being paid by the UAE while carrying out the operation. He was receiving a six-figure annual retainer, as well as substantial bonuses, including a $1m payment weeks before his trip to London for an operation in Yemen.

ITV's investigation, based on witness testimony, emails, WhatsApp messages and financial records, found that Golan worked with a former US special forces operative to locate and monitor Tikriti.

According to the UK broadcaster, Golan told a British strategist assisting him that he was working for the UAE and that Abu Dhabi considered Tikriti and the Cordoba Foundation to be aligned with groups it regarded as terrorist organisations.

Golan contacted the British strategist, identified by ITV as "Victor", in November 2016, asking whether he had any "channels" to Tikriti and the Cordoba Foundation.

According to the report, Golan later travelled to London, where he offered Victor £50,000 to help locate Tikriti, increasing the offer to £100,000.

Golan shared photographs of Tikriti's home and car, maps and satellite images, and details of his movements between home and work.

At one meeting, Golan allegedly discussed the possibility of physically eliminating Tikriti. His associate, a former US Navy Seal, reportedly made a gesture across his throat when asked what could happen to the activist.

"I became increasingly worried about what this operation entailed," Victor told ITV.

In a follow-up message, Golan appeared to suggest that the operation was part of a much wider campaign. "War is coming to Europe and we are at the beginning of a huge program," he wrote to Victor, without elaborating on what he meant.

Golan subsequently left the UK for Washington but told Victor that the operation would continue, writing that his "team" remained in London.

Victor eventually withdrew from the operation after concluding it could involve an assassination.

The extent to which the surveillance continued is unclear. Tikriti, who has helped negotiate the release of more than 20 hostages across Africa and the Middle East, was later visited twice at his London home by police officers who warned him that his life could be at risk.

The officers did not tell him the source or nature of the threat.

"I feel physically sick," Tikriti told ITV News after being shown the messages and photographs gathered by Golan.

"At the time, my children were three and one and a half years old," he said.

UAE's Muslim Brotherhood campaign

The alleged operation came amid a long-running dispute between the UAE and the UK over the Muslim Brotherhood.

For years, the UAE has accused the Muslim Brotherhood of threatening its political system and has sought to suppress the movement and its influence across the region since the Arab Spring.

Founded in Cairo in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood is one of the world's largest and best-known political Islam groups.

It has long maintained that it is a peaceful organisation that wishes to participate in politics democratically, but it is considered a major threat by several autocratic governments in the region.

In 2014, Abu Dhabi designated the Cordoba Foundation, the Muslim Association of Britain, and Islamic Relief as terrorist organisations alongside groups including the Islamic State group (IS) and al-Qaeda.

However, a year later, in 2015, a UK government review found no evidence that the Muslim Brotherhood was involved in terrorist activity in Britain.

The Cordoba Foundation has consistently denied having a formal association with the Muslim Brotherhood.

Tikriti has acknowledged studying the group's ideology but rejected suggestions that he poses a threat.

"I'm a Brit. I grew up in Britain," he told ITV News. "In my life, I have never done anything wrong whatsoever."

According to ITV News, Golan's alleged operation in London also followed his work for the UAE in Yemen.

In 2015, his company was hired to assemble a team of western military veterans to target people Abu Dhabi considered linked to the Muslim Brotherhood.

One of the targets was Yemeni MP Anssaf Ali Mayo, whose office was targeted with explosives.

Mayo has since said he suffers "psychological and emotional trauma" from the assassination attempt, and now lives in exile in Saudi Arabia. His wife and two children remain in Yemen.

Golan later acknowledged the existence of a "targeted assassination" programme in Yemen, telling BuzzFeed News that it had been "sanctioned" by the UAE.

A former member of his team, US Special Forces veteran Dale Comstock, told ITV News: "For all intents and purposes, we were Emirati soldiers."

According to ITV News, the London operation took place as Britain and the UAE were publicly deepening their political and economic relationship.

Two weeks after Golan first contacted Victor, then Prince Charles travelled to Abu Dhabi to strengthen bilateral ties.

British officials were aware of disagreements with the UAE over the Muslim Brotherhood, but said they had no knowledge that a covert operation involving mercenaries was being planned on the UK's shores.

A Home Office spokesperson told ITV: "It is our longstanding policy not to comment on security and intelligence matters."

MEE contacted the UAE's embassies in Britain and the US for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.