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An Afghan migrant has been found guilty of threatening to kill Nigel Farage in a TikTok post.

Fayaz Khan, 26, chose not to give evidence in his trial, in which he was accused of threatening the Reform UK leader between 12 and 15 October last year in a video on the social media platform.

Mr Farage said the video was “pretty chilling”.

Jurors deliberated for 11 hours and 55 minutes before finding him guilty at Southwark Crown Court.

They had been told Khan had a “very large presence online”, with his TikTok videos amassing hundreds of thousands of views as he showed himself attempting to come to the UK by small boat last autumn.

The Afghan national, who has an AK-47 tattoo on his right cheek and arm, live-streamed his journey across the English Channel from France in a small boat and was arrested on 31 October after arriving in the UK.

He had been living in Stockholm, Sweden, since 2019.

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Fayaz Khan posted a TikTok video of him appearing to threaten to kill Nigel Farage. Pic: PA
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Fayaz Khan posted a TikTok video of him appearing to threaten to kill Nigel Farage. Pic: PA

Jurors were told that on 12 October last year, Mr Farage uploaded a YouTube video titled “The journey of an illegal migrant”, which highlighted Khan and referenced “young males of fighting age coming into our country about whom we know very little”.

Khan responded with a video two days later in which he appeared to say: “Englishman Nigel, don’t talk s**t about me.

“You not know me. I come to England because I want to marry with your sister. You not know me.

“Don’t talk about me more. Delete the video.

“I’m coming to England. I’m going to pop, pop, pop.”

He made gun gestures with his hand and headbutted the camera during the video, while pointing to the AK-47 tattoo on his face to “emphasise he wasn’t joking”, Mr Ratliff said.

Mr Farage, who was at court for the trial, said the video was “pretty chilling”.

“Given his proximity to guns and love of guns, I was genuinely worried,” he said.

“He says he’s coming to England and he’s going to shoot me.”

A subsequent TikTok post by Khan read: “I mean what I say” on an image of a GB News report about the threat against Mr Farage.

Nigel Farage outside Southwark Crown Court. Pic: PA
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Nigel Farage outside Southwark Crown Court. Pic: PA

Other videos Khan posted on social media were shown to the jury in which he appeared to make “pop, pop, pop” noises and similar gun hand gestures.

After his arrest, Khan told police in November last year: “It was just a video, it was never an intention to threaten him.

“It was never my intention to kill him or anything – this is my character, this is how I act in my videos.

“In every video I make those sounds, I say ‘pop, pop pop’.”

Prosecutor Peter Ratliff said the threat to kill was “not some off-the-cuff comment” and the video was “sinister and menacing”.

He said Khan, who denied the charge, was a “dangerous man with an interest in firearms” and who had an AK-47 tattooed on his arm and face.

Defence lawyer Charles Royle said Khan was “remonstrating in his own idiosyncratic, moronic, comedic, eye-catching, attention-seeking way” rather than making a threat to kill in the TikTok video.

He told jurors the trial was “not about your views on illegal immigration, nor about your views on face tattoos, Brexit or Reform”.

Discussing Khan’s decision not to give evidence, Mr Royle said: “You shouldn’t hold any silence against him.”

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Starmer urges anyone with information on Epstein case to come forward – after Andrew misses Congress deadline

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Deadline day for Andrew to respond to Epstein inquiry - but it's hard to imagine why he'd talk

Sir Keir Starmer has urged anyone with information on the Jeffrey Epstein case to come forward after Andrew Mountbatten Windsor missed the deadline to appear in front of US Congress.

US legislators have criticised Andrew for what they describe as “silence” amid their probe into Epstein after he failed to respond to their request for an interview.

When asked about Andrew missing the deadline and whether the former prince should help the case in any way he can, Sir Keir said on his way to the G20 summit in South Africa: “I don’t comment on this particular case.”

He added that “a general principle I’ve held for a very long time is that anybody who has got relevant information in relation to these kind of cases should give that evidence to those that need it”.

Andrew is not legally obliged to talk to Congress and has always vigorously denied any wrongdoing.

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Sir Keir Starmer spoke to reporters on his way to the G20 in South Africa. Pic: Reuters
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Sir Keir Starmer spoke to reporters on his way to the G20 in South Africa. Pic: Reuters

It comes as Marjorie Taylor Greene, a loyal supporter-turned-critic of US President Donald Trump, said on Friday she is resigning from Congress in January.

Ms Greene’s resignation followed a public falling-out with Mr Trump in recent months, as the congresswoman criticised him for his stance on files related to Epstein, as well as on foreign policy and healthcare.

Members of the House Oversight Committee had requested a “transcribed interview” with Andrew in connection with his “long-standing friendship” with Epstein, the paedophile financier who took his own life in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.

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Releasing the Epstein files: How we got here

But after saying they had not heard back, Democrats Robert Garcia and Suhas Subramanyam accused Andrew of hiding.

Their statement read: “Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s silence in the face of the Oversight Democrat’s demand for testimony speaks volumes.

“The documents we’ve reviewed, along with public records and Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s testimony, raise serious questions he must answer, yet he continues to hide.

“Our work will move forward with or without him, and we will hold anyone who was involved in these crimes accountable, no matter their wealth, status, or political party. We will get justice for the survivors.”

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The new Epstein files: The key takeaways

It follows Andrew being stripped of his prince and Duke of York titles earlier this month.

He had previously agreed to stop using his titles, but had expected to remain a prince and retain his dukedom, ahead of the publication of the memoirs of the late Ms Giuffre, who had accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager – an accusation he denies.

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Girl, 13, arrested on suspicion of murdering woman in Swindon

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Girl, 13, arrested on suspicion of murdering woman in Swindon

A 13-year-old girl has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a woman in Swindon.

Police said the teenager was detained following an incident in Baydon Close, Moredon, in the Wiltshire town on Friday evening.

Officers responded to reports of disorder inside a house. When they arrived, a woman in her 50s living at the address was found to be not breathing. She was declared dead at the scene.

There were no other reported injuries.

Forensic officers are at the scene to collect evidence
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Forensic officers are at the scene to collect evidence

Detective Inspector Darren Ambrose, from Wiltshire Police’s major crime investigation team, said: “This is a serious incident in which a woman has sadly died.

“We have set up a cordon at the address while an investigation is carried out.

“I can confirm that we have arrested a teenage girl in connection with this incident and we are not looking for anyone else.”

Police have asked people not to speculate about the incident online as this could prejudice the case.

A police statement read: “Residents can expect to see an increased police presence in the area while we continue carrying out our enquiries into the woman’s death.

“The suspect remains in custody at this time.”

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Police said anyone with concerns should speak with their local neighbourhood policing team, either by emailing or approaching officers in person.

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Rail fares to be frozen for first time in 30 years

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Rail fares to be frozen for first time in 30 years

Rail fares are to be frozen for the first time in 30 years, the government has announced.

Ministers promised that millions of rail travellers will save hundreds of pounds on regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns between major cities.

The fare freeze applies to England and services run by English train operators.

People commuting to work three days a week using flexi-season tickets will save £315 a year travelling from Milton Keynes to London, £173 travelling from Woking to London and £57 from Bradford to Leeds, the government said.

The changes are part of Labour’s plans to rebuild a publicly owned Great British Railways. Other planned changes include tap in-tap out and digital ticketing, as well as investing in superfast Wi-Fi.

The freeze applies to regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns. Pic: iStock
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The freeze applies to regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns. Pic: iStock

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government was introducing a freeze on rail fares for the first time in 30 years, which “will ease the pressure on household finances and make travelling to work, school or to visit friends and family that bit easier”.

“We all want to see cheaper rail travel, so we’re freezing fares to help millions of passengers save money,” Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said.

“Commuters on more expensive routes will save more than £300 per year, meaning they keep more of their hard-earned cash.”

Rail unions and passenger groups welcomed the move, praising how it will make travel more affordable for passengers and promote more sustainable travel alternatives.

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Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said: “More affordable fares will encourage greater use of public transport, supporting jobs, giving a shot in the arm to local economies and helping to improve the environment.”

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said the rail fare freeze “will be a huge relief to working people”.

“This is the right decision, at the right time, to help passengers be able to afford to make that journey they need to take, and to help grow our railway in this country, because the railway is Britain’s green alternative – taking cars and lorries off our congested roads and moving people and goods safely around our country in an environmentally-friendly way,” Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers union Aslef, said.

The Tories welcomed the move but said the government was “late to the platform”.

Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden said: “In government, the Conservatives kept fares on the right track with below-inflation rises and consistently called for no further hikes to protect hard-working commuters.”

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