❓WHAT HAPPENED: An Afghan illegal immigrant is accused of making a threat to kill Reform Party leader Nigel Farage in a TikTok post.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Fayaz Khan, 26, and Nigel Farage.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The threats were allegedly issued between October 12 and 15, 2022; the trial is being held at Southwark Crown Court.
💬KEY QUOTE: “He says he’s coming to England and he’s going to shoot me.” – Nigel Farage
🎯IMPACT: The jury has been sent out to consider their verdicts after hearing arguments from both the prosecution and the defense.
Fayaz Khan, an Afghan illegal immigrant, is on trial at Southwark Crown Court accused of making a threat to kill Reform UK leader Nigel Farage in a TikTok video posted between October 12 and 15, 2022. Khan, who crossed the English Channel on a small boat and livestreamed his illegal journey, was arrested on October 31. He has denied the charge and has chosen not to testify during the proceedings.
Prosecutor Peter Ratliff told the court that the video was “sinister and menacing” and should be taken as a serious threat rather than a joke or casual remark. He pointed to Khan’s refusal to give evidence, saying, “The prosecution suggest this is because there is no sensible defense he could give to that video.” Ratliff also highlighted Khan’s apparent fascination with guns, including tattoos of AK-47 rifles on his body.
Farage gave evidence, describing the video as “pretty chilling.” He told the jury, “He says he’s coming to England and he’s going to shoot me,” and voiced concern over Khan’s apparent obsession with firearms. Jurors were shown the TikTok video in question, which included the caption “I mean what I say,” along with other similar videos featuring gestures and sounds interpreted as threatening.
In a police interview, Khan said the video was never meant as a threat, explaining, “It was just a video, it was never an intention to threaten him.” He claimed his behavior reflected his online persona and was not serious.
Defending Khan, barrister Charles Royle argued the video was not a genuine threat but part of Khan’s bizarre and exaggerated online behavior. He described Khan’s actions as “remonstrating in his own idiosyncratic, moronic, comedic, eye-catching, attention-seeking way,” and urged jurors not to judge his client based on his immigration status or AK-47 tattoos. Royle also reminded the jury that Khan’s decision not to testify should not be taken as an admission of guilt.
The case comes amid growing concern over political violence. Farage has faced a string of attacks in recent years. In June 2024, he was assaulted with what appeared to be cement during a campaign event in Barnsley. Earlier, a drink was thrown at him as he left a pub in Clacton, after a spate of similar incidents.
Despite the rise in threats, the Labour Party-led British government reportedly slashed Farage’s security funding by 75 percent in October 2025, shortly after U.S. conservative organizer Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
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