A manhunt has been launched after a man was seen wearing a Manchester United shirt with “Hamas” written on the back near Oxford Circus tube station in London.
The supporter was spotted on Friday, May 24, donning the “Hamas 7” Red Devils jersey, raising serious concerns among the public.
A Jewish observer, who preferred to remain anonymous, expressed concern that the “7” on the back of the shirt was a reference to the October 7 attack last year. The attack involved coordinated armed incursions by Hamas and several other Palestinian militant groups from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel and at the Nova music festival, resulting in over a thousand deaths and hundreds of injuries. Gaza’s health ministry reports nearly 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive.
The Metropolitan Police has confirmed an investigation into the incident is underway. A spokesperson from the Met Police said: “On Friday, May 24 police received a call from a member of the public reporting that a man was walking in Oxford Street, W1 wearing a football shirt with an offensive message on it. Enquiries are underway to try and identify the man.”
The observer, who took the photographs, stated he was in central London to collect footwear when he saw the man wearing the controversial shirt. After following him for a short time, he took pictures, noting that the man did not seem to care that he was being photographed.
Being a member of or showing support for Hamas is illegal in the UK and can lead to a prison sentence of up to 14 years.
Anyone with information that could assist police is asked to call 101 or contact @MetCC on Twitter, quoting CAD3538/24May.
