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London Terror Suspect Was a Member of 2010 Gaza Flotilla

Palestinian boats parked in the fishermen's port in Gaza City, in the northern Gaza Strip
Palestinian boats parked in the fishermen's port in Gaza City, in the northern Gaza Strip / AP
April 28, 2017

Khalid Omar Ali, a suspect from Thursday's planned knife attack near British Prime Minister Theresa May's office, was a member of a 2010 flotilla that sought to challenge an Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Ali was on the Mavi Marmara, which was intercepted by Israeli authorities in 2010 during an attempt to get past the Israeli blockade, Reuters reports. During the incident, nine Turkish activists were killed.

The flotilla, part of a group called Road to Hope, left Egypt attempting to bring what they called aid to Gaza. The Israeli government has a mandate that any aid going to Gaza must go through non-Gaza ports in Israel so that it may be searched in order to keep weapons from getting into the territory.

Ali, from London, was arrested after carrying knives near May's office by counterterrorism officials due to beefed up security. Nobody was injured, but Ali was being monitored by British intelligence and other government authorities by the time of his arrest.

Published under: Gaza , Israel , Terrorism