British police recorded a lawyer representing Hamas as a member of the group during a counter-terror stop, court documents show. [Getty]
A UK-based lawyer who represented Hamas in a legal challenge claims police falsely recorded him as a member of the group after detaining him under counter-terrorism powers, according to court documents.
Fahad Ansari is challenging his stop by officers at the port of Holyhead in August last year, arguing that his detention and the extraction of data from his phone, including legally privileged communications, were unlawful.
Documents disclosed as part of the case show that a detective inspector recorded “Hamas” under “membership of a known group” on a risk assessment form authorising his detention.
Ansari said the incident was “chilling”, telling the Guardian it reflected a troubling precedent.
“Seeing this in black and white was chilling: it echoes a dark period when the British state targeted lawyers for representing members of another proscribed group [the IRA],” he said, according to the newspaper.
“This is not Belfast in the 1980s when such messages were delivered with bullets, but the intention is the same: represent Hamas and face consequences,” he added, warning that such actions risk silencing legal representation for controversial clients.
His lawyer, Hugh Southey KC, said in court submissions that Ansari “is not a member of Hamas” and that his only connection to the group was acting as its solicitor in a de-proscription application filed in April 2025.
The police officer who completed the form later said the entry was inaccurate, stating in a witness statement that he had intended to record that Ansari worked as a solicitor for Hamas, not that he was a member.
He added that the error “did not affect any of the decisions” taken by officers.
However, Southey argued that the explanation suggested a broader issue, saying it indicated that “representation of Hamas was equated with membership”, as reported by The Guardian.
Ansari’s legal team also claims the stop was targeted rather than random, stating that authorities had sought access to his mobile phone, which was downloaded and examined over several days.
The case is being brought against the chief constable of North Wales Police and the Home Secretary, with both the police force and the Home Office declining to comment while proceedings are ongoing.
Hamas had submitted an application to the Home Secretary in early April 2025 seeking to overturn its designation as a proscribed organisation.
The group was previously partially banned in the UK, with only its armed wing, Al-Qassam Brigades, listed as a terrorist organisation.
In 2021, the UK extended the ban to Hamas in its entirety, arguing that the distinction between its political and military wings was “artificial”.
Hamas’s legal team had argued that the move was politically motivated, violated rights protected under the European Convention on Human Rights, and placed unlawful restrictions on political expression and support within the UK.
The application was filed by Mousa Abu Marzouk, head of Hamas’s foreign relations office, and triggered a formal review process.
The Home Office rejected the request in early July 2025, stating that the proscription was “necessary and proportionate” to protect national security and support counter-terrorism efforts.
Following that decision, Hamas launched an appeal to the Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission (POAC), challenging the lawfulness of the refusal. The case remains ongoing as of mid-2026, with no ruling yet to overturn the designation.
