UAE-Funded Mercenary Targeted London Activist Anas Altikriti

Key Points

• In December 2016, a British academic and activist, Anas Altikriti, was allegedly a target of a secret surveillance program in London by a mercenary paid by the UAE, according to an investigation by ITV News’ Global Security Editor, Rohit Kachroo.
• Former French Foreign Legion soldier and former head of the private security firm Spear Operations Group, Hungarian-Israeli dual citizen Abraham Golan was in London on business with alleged UAE payments. Former head of private security firm Spear Operations Group, Hungarian-Israeli dual citizen Abraham Golan was in London on business with alleged UAE payments.
• The figures in the allegedly leaked Emirati financial records – which ITV News has been able to see – indicate that Golan was paid a six-figure annual retainer, including an alleged round-million-dollar advance shortly before heading to Britain.
• The files examined by the broadcaster show images of Altikriti’s house and car, his working spaces and routes from his work to his house.
• Golan is alleged to have offered a British consultant, who was not identified by ITV News, up to £100,000 to meet Altakriti under an “excuse”.
• During a conversation with ITV News, Victor mentioned that a colleague of Golan’s had made a gesture of cutting into his throat, leading to concerns that the operation may become an assassination.
• ITV News warns its evidence is not proof of Emirati officials’ order to kill Altikriti.
• Police later went to Altikriti’s residence and told him that they had received a threat to his life, but did not provide any specifics.
• The operation is believed to be part of the UAE’s broader anti-Muslim Brotherhood movement, which in 2014 banned the Cordoba Foundation, which was led by Altikriti.
• Golan’s company is also said to have had a role in an alleged UAE-sponsored assassination campaign in Yemen, a point the subject of a US civil lawsuit.
• Golan’s associate, the UAE Home Office and the UAE government did not comment on the report, and the UK Home Office commented only in general terms.

London (Britain Today News) August 20, 2026: A mercenary allegedly funded by the United Arab Emirates carried out a covert surveillance operation against a prominent British Muslim activist in London, according to an investigation published by ITV News. Abraham Golan, a Hungarian-Israeli dual citizen who headed the private security company Spear Operations Group, travelled to Britain in December 2016 while reportedly being paid by Emirati authorities, targeting Anas Altikriti, the chief executive of the Cordoba Foundation think tank. As reported by Rohit Kachroo, Global Security Editor at ITV News, documents and messages reviewed by the broadcaster detail surveillance of Altikriti’s home, vehicle and workplace, alongside evidence of a British consultant being offered substantial sums to help facilitate contact with him under false pretences.

Who Is Anas Altikriti and Why Was He Targeted?

Anas Altikriti is a 57-year-old academic, hostage negotiator and chief executive of the Cordoba Foundation, a London-based think tank. According to the ITV News investigation, he has helped negotiate the release of more than twenty hostages across Africa and the Middle East and is a familiar face on British and international broadcast media as a commentator.

As reported by Rohit Kachroo of ITV News, Altikriti was shown a decade-old cache of messages and photographs compiled by Golan, including images of his former home and car labelled with descriptions such as “target’s house and car.” Altikriti told ITV News that reviewing the material made him feel deeply unwell, particularly given that the surveillance appeared to have taken place while his children were toddlers. When asked who he believed was responsible, Altikriti said he had no hesitation in naming the UAE.

Who Is Abraham Golan and What Is Spear Operations Group?

Abraham Golan is described in the ITV News investigation as a dual Hungarian-Israeli citizen who lived in the United States and previously served in the French Foreign Legion and the Israeli Defence Forces. He founded Spear Operations Group in 2015, a private security company that went on to recruit Western military veterans, including former US Navy SEALs and Green Berets, for operations abroad.

According to the ITV News investigation, confidential Emirati financial records showed that Golan received a six-figure annual retainer from the UAE, along with substantial bonus payments. The records reportedly indicate he was paid roughly one million US dollars for an earlier operation in Yemen just weeks before he travelled to London in December 2016.

How Did the UAE Come to View the Cordoba Foundation as a Threat?

In November 2014, the United Arab Emirates published a list of 83 organisations it had proscribed as terrorist entities. Alongside recognised networks such as Daesh and Al Qaeda, the list included three British organisations: Islamic Relief, the Muslim Association of Britain, and the Cordoba Foundation. No formal explanation was provided at the time, and UK officials reportedly sought clarification from Emirati counterparts, according to internal correspondence cited in the ITV News investigation.

Sources cited by ITV News suggested the UAE’s concerns stemmed in part from Altikriti’s father, Osama Altikriti, a former head of the Iraqi Islamic Party, an organisation with historical links to the Muslim Brotherhood. Altikriti has consistently maintained that he has never engaged in wrongdoing and that the Cordoba Foundation has no formal affiliation with the movement. A 2015 UK government review reportedly found no evidence that the Muslim Brotherhood had been involved in terrorist activity within Britain, a conclusion at odds with the position taken by Emirati authorities.

What Happened During Golan’s Operation in London?

Golan first made contact in November 2016 with a UK-based consultant referred to by the broadcaster as “Victor,” asking whether he had any “channels” to Altikriti and the Cordoba Foundation. Golan arrived in London in early December 2016 and met Victor at a central London bar alongside a former US special forces operative.

As reported by Rohit Kachroo of ITV News, Victor recalled being told by Golan that the UAE regarded the Cordoba Foundation and Altikriti as aligned with groups radicalising young Muslims, and that a surveillance operation was being organised in London to monitor the perceived threat. Golan reportedly asked Victor to help lure Altikriti into a meeting by posing as an author researching the Muslim Brotherhood, while separately requesting further personal details, including addresses and the mosque Altikriti attended.

How Did the British Consultant “Victor” Become Involved?

Victor told ITV News that Golan initially offered him £50,000, later raised to £100,000, funnelled through an offshore account, in exchange for assistance identifying and approaching Altikriti. Victor said he grew increasingly uneasy about the true purpose of the operation as further meetings took place.

At a subsequent meeting, Victor said Golan’s associate asked what would happen if Altikriti were removed from the picture, accompanying the remark with a gesture drawing a finger across his throat. Victor told the broadcaster this exchange left him fearing that the surveillance operation could develop into a plot to physically harm Altikriti. Victor said he ultimately withdrew from the arrangement after becoming convinced of its potentially violent intent, informing Golan that there was nothing further he could do.

Did the Operation Link to a Wider UAE Assassination Programme in Yemen?

Spear Operations Group had already been engaged by the UAE in 2015 to target political figures in Yemen viewed by Emirati authorities as aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood. One of the earliest reported targets was Yemeni MP Anssaf Ali Mayo, whose office was allegedly targeted with explosives; he survived and later fled to Saudi Arabia. The alleged assassination attempt is the subject of an ongoing civil lawsuit filed in the United States.

Golan has previously acknowledged running the programme, telling BuzzFeed News in past remarks reported by ITV News that the operation had been sanctioned by the UAE within the Saudi-led coalition. A former member of Golan’s team, US Special Forces veteran Dale Comstock, told ITV News that the unit had effectively functioned as Emirati soldiers during the Yemen operations.

How Did the Police Respond to the Threat Against Altikriti?

Altikriti told ITV News that he was subsequently visited on two occasions by police officers, who warned him of information suggesting a potential threat to his life without disclosing its source or precise nature. According to the investigation, officers referenced the possibility of an Osman notice, a formal police warning issued when authorities hold credible information that an individual’s life may be in danger.

Altikriti described the experience as unsettling, telling ITV News he was left aware of a danger he could not identify or take direct steps to mitigate. He said he had become more vigilant in the years since, though he only recently learned the full context behind the warnings.

What Have the UAE, Golan and the UK Government Said in Response?

Abraham Golan declined to provide a substantive response to the findings, telling the broadcaster over social media that he had “nothing to declare” before stating he had no interest in speaking further. His former associate, the US Navy SEAL who accompanied him in London, did not respond to multiple requests for comment from ITV News.

The UAE’s embassies in the United Kingdom and the United States did not respond to the investigation’s findings, according to ITV News. A UK Home Office spokesperson told the broadcaster that it remained the department’s longstanding policy not to comment on security and intelligence matters.
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What Questions Does the Investigation Raise for UK-UAE Relations?

The revelations emerge as Britain and the UAE continue to deepen diplomatic and economic ties. According to the ITV News investigation, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has confirmed his intention to strengthen relations with the UAE, having held early discussions with President Sheikh Mohamed following his premiership.

However, ITV News reports that friction persists over the UK’s continued refusal to proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood, a position that has long frustrated Emirati officials. The investigation notes that its evidence does not establish whether the alleged London operation was directly ordered by figures within the Emirati government or whether Golan pursued the plan independently while understanding the UAE’s hostility towards Altikriti and the Cordoba Foundation.

What Happens Next?

The findings raise unresolved questions for UK officials over whether the alleged conduct of a foreign-funded mercenary on British soil amounted to a permissible act by a close ally’s contractor, or a hostile operation warranting further scrutiny. As of publication, neither the UAE nor Golan has offered a substantive rebuttal of the claims set out in the ITV News investigation, and no UK regulatory or parliamentary response had been announced.