Ex-Terrorist Running for Local Office in Birmingham
Shahid Butt, an Islamic activist with a past conviction related to a terrorist plot, is now campaigning for a position in Birmingham as local elections draw near, amidst increasing community tensions.
In 1999, Butt was sentenced by a Yemeni court to five years in prison for forming an armed group and plotting to bomb various targets, including the British Consulate in Aden. Prosecutors at that time alleged that extremist preacher Abu Hamza was behind the group’s orders.
Currently, Mr. Butt is a candidate for the newly established Alliance of Independent Candidates in the Birmingham City Council election scheduled for May 7. He asserts his innocence, claiming that his confession was obtained under torture and that the evidence against him was fabricated, as reported by the Daily Telegraph.
Butt will be contesting in the Spark Hill district, where a significant portion of the population is of Pakistani descent.
His candidacy emerges at a time when Birmingham, which has the largest Muslim demographic in the UK, is experiencing heightened tensions tied to issues of foreign policy and identity. This became especially evident last November during a Europa Conference League match featuring Israeli soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv against Aston Villa.
In a bid to rally support, Butt called on Muslims nationwide to come to Birmingham in solidarity with Palestinians, expressing intentions to prevent what he characterized as the Israeli team’s supporters from “desecrating” the city. In one of his social media posts, he controversially labeled a visiting fan an “IDF baby killer.”
As large protests were anticipated, authorities ultimately barred Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending the match, citing safety concerns. During one protest, Butt reportedly suggested a shift from peaceful protest to more aggressive rhetoric, stating, “If someone hits you in the face, knock out their teeth. That’s my message to young people.”
Emma Schubert, a researcher with the Henry Jackson Society, noted that these events are indicative of deeper societal divisions in Britain. She pointed out that a convicted terrorist like Butt is running in an area that is predominantly Muslim, while Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters are excluded from the city—something that reflects demographic shifts in Birmingham.
This situation might signal a significant political shift, as candidates like Butt aim to reshape the local electoral landscape by diminishing the Labor Party’s influence.
The Independent Candidates Alliance, founded by Akhmed Yacoub and Shakir Afsar, previously ran on a pro-Gaza platform in the 2024 general election without success. The Alliance plans to field candidates in roughly 20 wards in Birmingham.
