Father jailed over video threatening to 'blow away' far-right protestors with decommissioned AK-47 during Southport riots
23 December 2024, 16:23
A married father who threatened far-right protesters while holding a decommissioned AK-47 assault rifle on social media has been jailed for 27 months.
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49-year-old Habeeb Khan from Birmingham posted the video in August as riots erupted across the UK in the Southport attack that killed three young girls.
The father appeared in the social media video holding the decommissioned assault rifle and threatening to "blow away" the English Defence League.
Habeeb Khan said a friend he did not want to name had posted the "inflammatory" video after it was filmed in his living room in Birmingham.
Khan, of Hickman Road, Sparkbrook, pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to making threats of death or serious harm contrary to the Online Safety Act.
A judge was told the video was widely shared on far-right social media accounts, gaining 1.4 million views on a single extreme right-wing account on X.
The city's crown court was told a T-shirt Khan was wearing in an 11-second clip from the video was found on the washing line of his home when he was arrested on August 7, two days after serious disorder in the Bordesley Green area.
The video clip, played to the court, showed Khan, 49, fitting a magazine to the Kalashnikov and saying: "EDL we're coming to f****** blow you away you m*************".
Other parts of the "viral" video, in which threats were made to Tommy Robinson, the former leader of the now defunct group, were not played to the sentencing hearing.
Prosecutor Laurie Scott told the court that the "inflammatory" video was shared by numerous accounts on X, formerly Twitter, including by one with a message saying of Khan: "The most serious threat to protesters everywhere. This Muslim has an automatic assault rifle and says he's coming for the EDL. All mosques need raiding now."
Ms Scott said the decommissioned rifle, which was recovered by police on August 7, was incapable of firing live rounds and was "in effect ornamental".
During his arrest, the court heard, Khan told officers "all I have done is make a little video" before "playing up" for a crowd which had gathered.
Khan, of Hickman Road, Sparkbrook, pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to making threats of death or serious harm contrary to the Online Safety Act.
He also admitted threatening behaviour relating to homophobic and abusive comments made after he was taken to hospital by police on the day of his arrest.
The court heard Khan has 11 previous convictions for 15 offences, including racially aggravated public order offences in 2009 and 2013.
He was also jailed for 12 months in 2019 after being convicted of possessing an imitation handgun with intent to cause fear of violence to a delivery driver outside a pizza shop.
Defence counsel Sunit Sandhu said Khan had health problems, including bipolar disorder and cellulitis.
Mr Sandhu told the court: "He pleaded guilty at trial on the basis of being reckless and he himself not uploading the video.
"He realises the consequences of his actions and is genuinely remorseful."
Passing sentence on Monday, Judge Melbourne Inman KC told Khan: "Sadly this is one of a number of cases that this court has had to deal with which arise out of civil unrest which itself followed from the very tragic events in Southport on July 29.
"That is the background to your actions on August 6 when you caused a message to be sent on X, formerly Twitter.
"This was, as you know, a time of extremely heightened social tension. On any view you were very reckless."
Khan, whose wife was in court to see him sentenced, was told he must serve 40% of his custodial term before being entitled to release on licence.
