UAE-funded mercenary targeted British activist in London, report says

UAE-funded mercenary targeted British activist in London, report says Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 08/19/2026 - 20:05 UAE allegedly funded an operation to surveil British-Muslim activist Anas al-Tikriti, with a US mercenary reportedly discussing the possibility of killing him, ITV News reports Anas al-Tikriti told ITV News that he felt physically sick after being shown messages and photographs gathered by Abraham Golan (Screengrab/X) Off A mercenary allegedly hired and paid millions of dollars by the United Arab Emirates carried out a covert surveillance operation against a British activist and academic in London, according to an investigation by ITV News. Abraham Golan, a dual Hungarian-Israeli citizen who ran the private security company Spear Operations Group, travelled to Britain in December 2016 to target Anas al-Tikriti, the chief executive of the London-based Cordoba Foundation think tank, ITV News reported on Wednesday. Emirati financial records seen by ITV showed that Golan, who lived in the US , was being paid by the UAE while carrying out the operation.