Heathrow Worker and NHS Doctor Under Scrutiny for Alleged Links to Hezbollah-Backed Charity

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Heathrow Worker and NHS Doctor Under Scrutiny for Alleged Links to Hezbollah-Backed Charity

 

A Heathrow airport worker and his NHS doctor wife are under investigation after revelations that the unregistered UK charity they run has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for aid projects in Lebanon with apparent ties to Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group designated a terrorist organisation in the UK.

 

 

Hussein Harake, 29, had been employed through a contractor at a British Airways lounge at Heathrow until The Sunday Times brought to light a series of social media posts in which he praised Hezbollah fighters killed in combat. In one such post, he described a deceased militant as a “martyred hero” and thanked another, who was reportedly the nephew of a senior Hezbollah commander, for his service following his death last August. Harake also shared an image at the grave of a third fighter, said to have volunteered for a Lebanese affiliate of his charity.

 

In response to the media inquiry, British Airways confirmed that Harake had been stripped of his airport security clearance. “These are very serious allegations and are a matter for the appropriate law enforcement agencies,” the airline said. A Heathrow spokesperson added: “As soon as we became aware of this information, the individual was immediately stripped of their airport pass.”

 

Harake and his wife, Zeinab Basma, 28, run Zayir UK, an unregistered charity that has raised more than £300,000 for aid initiatives in Lebanon. Much of the fundraising reportedly took place on British university campuses, including at Imperial College London and the London School of Economics. Basma, a doctor trained through the NHS who studied medicine at University College London, serves as the charity’s president.

 

Though Zayir UK is not registered with the Charity Commission, it has reportedly conducted its activities with the support of Hezbollah-linked institutions in Lebanon. In a televised interview with Hezbollah’s media arm, Al Manar, Harake explained that “the charity, Zayer, is split into different departments,” adding that the children's department was “organised with the social work [department] of Hezbollah.”

 

Harake’s sister, Zainab, who helps run the organisation in Beirut, was also quoted in an Arabic-language interview confirming collaboration with “all the religious institutions, civil society organisations and social work entities within Hezbollah.” She was also photographed at a charity event with a woman wearing a scarf bearing the Hezbollah emblem.

 

 

In response to concerns raised about the group’s presence and activity in Britain, Mark Gardner, chief executive of the Community Security Trust, criticised systemic failures in oversight. “This organisation has operated on British campuses raising substantial sums, but it did not even hide its connections with Hezbollah,” he said. “The police, government, relevant regulators and those with legal responsibility must act swiftly.”

 

The UK proscribed Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organisation in 2019. Despite its dual role in Lebanon as a political party and welfare provider, the group has long called for the destruction of Israel and is subject to sanctions and legal restrictions in Britain. Posts on the Facebook page of Zayer Charity Association, a Lebanese arm of the UK organisation, included tributes to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah following his reported assassination last year. A later post in February urged supporters to attend his funeral “as an expression of loyalty and social solidarity.” Both posts have since been removed.

 

The Charity Commission confirmed that Zayir UK had recently failed in its attempt to register. “To be considered a charity in law, an organisation must demonstrate how it meets one of the recognised charitable purposes and is established for the public benefit,” the commission stated. “The commission robustly scrutinises applications to register as a charity, and Zayir UK was unsuccessful in its recent application.”

 

 

Harake is believed to have moved to Britain from Lebanon in 2022. Before his role at Heathrow, he managed a Lebanese restaurant in northwest London. He married Basma in July 2023, and the couple now reside in a £335,000 semi-detached house in London.

 

The Metropolitan Police, when contacted, declined to confirm whether any investigation is underway. “While we do not comment on whether specific individuals may or may not be under investigation,” a spokesperson said, “any potential terrorist-related material referred to us by the public is assessed by specialist officers from the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit to determine whether any further investigation or action by police may be required.”

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Times  2025-05-12

 

 

[JonnyF]

7 hours ago, Social Media said:

A Heathrow spokesperson added: “As soon as we became aware of this information, the individual was immediately stripped of their airport pass.”

 

One would hope that all employees at Heathrow (and other airports) would have very thorough security checks before handing out security passes.

 

People with 'alleged' links to terrorist organizations like Hamas should be excluded from employment at such places.