A London-based civil society leader is demanding answers from UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham over explosive allegations that the United Arab Emirates orchestrated a covert plot to assassinate him on British territory, following a months-long investigative journalism project that uncovered detailed evidence of the alleged operation.
Last month, Britain’s ITV News published an investigation claiming the UAE committed millions of dollars to contracting a mercenary operative to target Anas Altikriti, chief executive officer of the Cordoba Foundation, a London-headquartered policy think tank focused on Middle East issues.
The alleged plotter, Abraham Golan, a dual Hungarian-Israeli citizen who led the private security firm Spear Operations Group, traveled to the United Kingdom in December 2016 specifically to carry out surveillance on Altikriti, according to evidence gathered by ITV. The outlet obtained Emirati financial records confirming Golan, who resided in the United States, received regular payments from the UAE government during the period of the operation. These included a six-figure annual retainer plus large performance bonuses, with one $1 million payment processed just weeks before Golan’s 2016 London trip, originally tied to a separate operation in Yemen.
ITV’s investigation, built from a trove of evidence including witness testimony, email correspondence, WhatsApp communications and financial documents, found Golan worked alongside a retired U.S. special forces operator to track Altikriti’s daily movements. Golan reached out to a British political strategist, identified by the investigation only as “Victor”, in November 2016, asking for access to networks connected to Altikriti and the Cordoba Foundation. Once in London, Golan initially offered Victor £50,000 (equivalent to $68,000 at current exchange rates) to help locate the think tank chief, later increasing the bribe to £100,000 ($136,000).
Documents and witness accounts confirm Golan shared detailed surveillance intelligence with Victor, including photos of Altikriti’s personal residence and vehicle, custom maps with satellite imagery, and granular notes on his routine travel between home and work. During one planning meeting, Golan explicitly raised the possibility of killing Altikriti, the investigation found. When questioned about the outcome of the operation, Golan’s former special forces associate made a throat-slitting gesture to indicate assassination.
Victor told ITV he grew increasingly alarmed by the scope and intent of the plot, ultimately cutting ties with the group once he confirmed the operation planned to end in Altikriti’s death. After the plot was uncovered, British police visited Altikriti at his London home twice to warn him his life was in imminent danger—but officers refused to share any details about the source or nature of the threat, leaving him without full context about the risk he faced.
In a formal letter sent to Prime Minister Andy Burnham on August 21, Altikriti has laid out a series of urgent demands for transparency and action from the UK government. The activist is asking Burnham to explain how a foreign government could apparently plan an assassination on British streets without facing any diplomatic or legal consequences, and to clarify what protection the state can guarantee to individuals in his position when such threats emerge.
Altikriti also pressed the government to release all information British intelligence and law enforcement agencies held about the 2016 plot, and to answer why he was not given full details about the threat at the time when the information would have been most critical. Addressing the UK government’s stated goal of deepening diplomatic and trade ties with the UAE, Altikriti questioned how this ambition can align with credible evidence of an Emirati assassination plot on UK soil, asking what new requirements of trust, transparency and accountability will now be applied to the bilateral relationship. He added that he is ready and willing to meet with Burnham or any relevant cabinet minister to discuss the matter in person.
Per ITV’s reporting, Golan told the British strategist he was acting on direct orders from Abu Dhabi, which considers Altikriti and the Cordoba Foundation to be affiliated with groups labeled as terrorist organizations by the UAE government.