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Three UK Men Jailed for ‘Heinous’ Antisemitic Kidnapping, Assault of Israeli Music Producer
Itay Kashti. Photo: YouTube screenshot
Three men in the United Kingdom were each sentenced to eight years and one month in prison on Friday after pleading guilty to kidnapping and violently assaulting an Israeli Jewish music producer.
Faiz Shah, 23, from Bradford; Mohammad Comrie, 23, from Leeds; and Elijah Ogunnubi-Sime, 20, from Wallington were arrested on Aug. 26, 2024, and were sentenced at Swansea Crown Court in Wales for the abduction and brutal assault of the London-based producer and composer Itay Kashti. Shah and Comrie were both sent to jail while Ogunnubi-Sime was sent to a young offender institution, according to the BBC.
Judge Catherine Richards said the kidnapping and assault in August 2024 was “motivated by events taking place elsewhere in the world,” referring to the Israel-Hamas war in the Middle East.
“[Kashti] was an entirely innocent, hard-working music producer that you had identified as a victim based on your understanding of his wealth and his Jewish heritage,” Richards said during the sentencing on Friday. “It seems to me that you justified your actions against the victim based on his background, as if he was less worthy of your respect and compassion. That is utterly abhorrent.”
“This is an absolutely horrific crime. It is an enormous relief that Mr. Kashti was able to escape, given that similar abductions of Jews from France to Gaza have ended in murder,” a spokesperson for the British charity Campaign Against Antisemitism said in a released statement. “This is what ‘globalizing the Intifada’ looks like: Jews being subjected to violence motivated by religious hatred. We are grateful to the police in Wales and to the court for taking a stand. This sentence is a message both to prospective perpetrators of such heinous crimes and also to the authorities elsewhere in Britain, who have turned too much of a blind eye to incitement to violence against Jews.”
The Community Security Trust (CST), a nonprofit charity that advises Britain’s Jewish community on security matters also applauded Friday’s sentencing. CST said it has worked closely to support Kashti and his family in the aftermath of the incident, including providing security advice and psychological and emotional support.
“This is a shocking and deeply troubling crime that the police have confirmed also had an antisemitic element due to the victim’s identity as an Israeli Jew,” CST said in a statement on X. “The victim suffered a terrible ordeal in which he was kidnapped, handcuffed, seriously assaulted, and even threatened with death by the perpetrators. In her sentencing remarks, the judge confirmed that all three defendants were motivated by racial and religious hostility in choosing the victim.”
Kashti’s kidnappers lured him to a rented house in rural Wales by using false identities and pretending to be from a music production company that was inviting him to a music recording workshop. They planned to kidnap their victim, extort money from him, and they also tried to source ketamine to drug Kashti, said prosecutor Craig Jones, who added that there was “clear political and religious motivation” to the attack because of Kashti’s Jewish and Israeli identity. Kashti took a taxi from London to the rented house on Aug. 26, 2024, and immediately upon arrival, he and his innocent taxi driver were attacked. The taxi driver was hit in the face but managed to escape while Kashti was chained and handcuffed, and brutally assaulted.
The music producer eventually managed to free himself from the chains, located his phone, and ran to hide in nearby bushes. He called his wife, who then called the police, as did the taxi driver. With the help of a police helicopter, officers found the three suspects hiding in a nearby field. Kashti suffered swollen and bruised eyelids, a swollen nose and bruising to his back, knees and leg and a cut to the scalp, according to BBC.
Kashti said his kidnapping and assault “felt like my own personal Oct. 7,” a reference to the deadly Hamas-led terrorist attacks that took place in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, during which terrorists murdered 1,200 people and took hundreds of hostages, many of whom remain in captivity.
“I was kicked to the head several times, handcuffed to a radiator, and forced to lie down on the floor,” he said. “I was threatened and told if I were to try and escape, I’d be killed. The awful attack of the 7th of October was flashing through my mind as I lay restrained on the floor in handcuffs. I can’t deny the strong and devastating impact this brutal and unnecessary attack has had on my life. My physical injuries lasted for weeks, and I have been suffering with anxiety, which I have never experienced before.”
DS Gareth Jones, an officer in the case, said the incident “was thoroughly planned and was sophisticated in elements.”
“Securing justice for the victim has been our priority throughout,” he noted. “This sentence today reflects the severity of this offense – and we hope it gives the victim a sense of justice. We thank him for his strength and patience whilst we carried out a thorough investigation into what was an extraordinary crime.”
The post Three UK Men Jailed for ‘Heinous’ Antisemitic Kidnapping, Assault of Israeli Music Producer first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Brooklyn Nets Select Israeli Basketball Players Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf in NBA Draft
The opening tip between the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards, at Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York, Dec. 13, 2020. Photo: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
In a landmark night for Israeli basketball, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf were selected in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets, marking the first time two Israeli players have been drafted in the same year.
Saraf, a 19-year-old guard known for his explosive athleticism and creative playmaking, was taken with the 26th pick. A standout with Maccabi Rishon LeZion and a rising star on Israel’s youth national teams, Saraf gained international attention with his electrifying scoring and commanding court presence.
With the 27th pick, the Nets selected 7-foot center Danny Wolf out of the University of Michigan. Wolf, who holds dual US-Israeli citizenship and represented Israel at the U-20 level, brings a versatile skill set, including sharp passing, perimeter shooting, and a strong feel for the game. After his name was called, Wolf grew emotional in an on-air interview, crediting his family for helping him reach the moment.
“I have the two greatest brothers in the world; I have an unbelievable sister who I love,” Wolf said. “They all helped me get to where I am today, and they’re going to help me get to where I am going to go in this league.”
The historic double-pick adds to the growing wave of Israeli presence on the NBA stage, led by Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who just completed a breakout 2024–25 season. After being traded to Portland last summer, Avdija thrived as a starter, averaging 16.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. In March alone, he posted 23.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, including two triple-doubles.
“I don’t think I’ve played like this before … I knew I had it in me. But I’m not really thinking about it. I’m just playing. I’m just free,” Avdija told reporters in March
With Saraf and Wolf joining Avdija, Israel’s basketball pipeline has reached unprecedented visibility. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the moment “a national celebration for sports and youth,” and Israeli sports commentators widely hailed the night as “historic.”
Both Saraf and Wolf are expected to suit up for the Nets’ Summer League team in July. As the two rookies begin their NBA journey, they join a growing generation of Israeli athletes proving that their game belongs on basketball’s biggest stage.
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Iran Denies Any Meeting With US Next Week, Foreign Minister Says
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via REUTERS
Iran currently has no plan to meet with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday in an interview on state TV, contradicting US President Donald Trump’s statement that Washington planned to have talks with Iran next week.
The Iranian foreign minister said Tehran was assessing whether talks with the US were in its interest, following five previous rounds of negotiations that were cut short by Israel and the US attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The US and Israel said the strikes were meant to curb Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons, while Iran says its nuclear program is solely geared toward civilian use.
Araqchi said the damages to nuclear sites “were not little” and that relevant authorities were figuring out the new realities of Iran’s nuclear program, which he said would inform Iran’s future diplomatic stance.
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Ireland Becomes First European Nation to Advance Ban on Trade With Israeli Settlements
A pro-Hamas demonstration in Ireland led by nationalist party Sinn Fein. Photo: Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne
Ireland has become the first European nation to push forward legislation banning trade with Israeli communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — an effort officials say is meant “to address the horrifying situation” in the Gaza Strip.
On Wednesday, Irish Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Simon Harris announced that the legislation has already been approved by the government and will now move to the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade for pre-legislative scrutiny.
“Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza,” Harris said during a press conference.
The Irish diplomat also told reporters he hopes the “real benefit” of the legislation will be to encourage other countries to follow suit, “because it is important that every country uses every lever at its disposal.”
Today Ireland becomes the first country in Europe to bring forward legislation to ban trade with the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza.
Every country must pull every lever at its disposal. pic.twitter.com/Z4RTjqntEY— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) June 24, 2025
Joining a growing number of EU member states aiming to curb Israel’s defensive campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Ireland’s decision comes after a 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s presence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal.
The ICJ ruled that third countries must avoid trade or investment that supports “the illegal situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
Once implemented, the law will criminalize the importation of goods from Israeli settlements into Ireland, empowering customs officials to inspect, seize, and confiscate any such shipments.
“The situation in Palestine remains a matter of deep public concern,” Harris said. “I have made it consistently clear that this government will use all levers at its disposal to address the horrifying situation on the ground and to contribute to long-term efforts to achieve a sustainable peace on the basis of the two-state solution.”
“Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are illegal and threaten the viability of the two-state solution,” the Irish diplomat continued. “This is the longstanding position of the European Union and our international partners. Furthermore, this is the clear position under international law.”
Harris also urged the EU to comply with the ICJ’s ruling by taking a more decisive and “adequate response” regarding imports from Israeli settlements.
“This is an issue that I will continue to press at EU level, and I reiterated my call for concrete proposals from the European Commission at the Foreign Affairs Council this week,” he said.
Last week, Ireland and eight other EU member states — Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden — called on the European Commission to draft proposals for how EU countries can halt trade and imports with Israeli settlements, in line with obligations set out by the ICJ.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the latest move by European countries, calling it “shameful” and a misguided attempt to undermine Israel while it faces “existential” threats from Iran and its proxies, including Hamas.
“It is regrettable that even when Israel is fighting an existential threat which is in Europe’s vital interest — there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession,” the top Israeli diplomat said in a post on X.
It is regrettable that even when Israel fighting an existential threat which is in Europe vital interest – there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession.
Shameful! https://t.co/lxm9qm8sM1— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) June 19, 2025
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