Hammer-wielding gangs attacked Pudsey man's home after he posted TikTok video insulting Islamic faith

The group of young men were heard to shout “Allahu Akbar” as they put the windows through of the man’s Pudsey van and house, causing £2,500 worth of damage.

After the police were called, they parked their outside the property in an effort to deter others, but it was later attacked when more yobs turned up.

That vehicle had to be written off after causing £14,000 worth of damage.

Ringleader Mohammed Ali, of Gladstone Street, Bradford, had orchestrated the trouble that day in October 2021 and was jailed at Leeds Crown Court this week.

He admitted two offences of conspiracy to cause criminal damage.

The court heard that the man had posted the video on TikTok which was seen to insult the Islamic faith.

Due to the resulting threats, he was forced to temporarily move out of his home.

On October 20 three males went to the property dressed in black with their faces covered. Two were carrying hammers.

The third male - later found to be Ali - stood aside and filmed the event, encouraging the others to smash the windows.

Shouting “Allahu Akbar”, they struck the van’s bonnet and windows, putting them all through, then switched their attention to the downstairs windows of the property.

A neighbour came out and shouted to them that the police were being called. The three men then left in an Audi, with the registration number being jotted down and later passed to police.

But at 11pm that night, a gang of around 10 returned to the street and began attacking the police van, using baseball bats and chunks of wood. A wheelie bin was also thrown at the van.

On October 22, Ali was stopped while driving the Audi in north Leeds.

He was arrested and interviewed where he gave a prepared statement in which he denied all matters.

Two phones were seized. Forensic analysis was carried out and the GPS data put Ali at the scene on the day of the attacks.

Social media posts also backed up the claims that he was there and had recruited others.

He has 19 previous convictions for 39 offences, including driving offences, harassment and perverting the course of justice. He was previously jailed for 32 months for handling stolen goods.

Mitigating, Ashleigh Metcalfe conceded Ali had an “unattractive history” but claimed he had progressed since that day, that he had got a good job and was a “different man to the one who committed the offences”.

She said: “There’s little mitigation that can be put forward for the offence. Not partaking in the direct vandalism is not great mitigation.”

She said that the Islamic community, led by a local imam, had reached out to the community in Pudsey to make reparations since that night.

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Judge Simon Batiste told Ali: “I accept it [the video] would have been highly offensive to your faith.

“There are legal ways and means that such behaviour could be dealt with - that includes going to the police.

“You chose not to do that. You were involved in recruiting others to go to his property armed with weapons.”

He said that a message needed to be sent out that such behaviour would result in custodial sentences. He jailed Ali for eight months.