Man, 36, held in custody after ‘sending abusive messages about Israel and Gaza’ to MP Justin Tomlinson
A 36-YEAR-old man is being held in custody after allegedly sending abusive messages about Israel and Gaza to MP Justin Tomlinson.
Feras Al-Jayoosi, from Swindon in Wiltshire was arrested by counter-terror cops on Thursday on suspicion of harassment.
He was later charged with stalking Tomlinson, the MP for North Swindon.
Al-Jayoosi is alleged to have sent multiple abusive and threatening emails which caused fear and concern.
Today Swindon Crown Court heard that the alleged emails were about the crisis in Israel and Gaza.
Al-Jayoosi spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address.
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He was remanded in custody ahead of a hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.
The Swindon man is also charged with criminal damage over an unrelated matter.
It comes as touching footage shows the moment Israeli families were reunited with their children, who were released by Hamas on Friday after 48 days in captivity.
The terror group is due to release 14 more hostages today as part of a truce deal brokered by Qatar.
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Palestinian civilians have been left fleeing for their lives as Israel attempts to destroy Hamas after the terror group massacred 1,200 civilians on October 7.
Families living in Gaza have been caught in the brutal crossfire, with regular accusations that the terrorists are attempting to use them as “human shields”.
Much of the northern part of the strip has been turned into a devastated warzone - with ruined buildings, dwindling supplies and horrific suffering for Gaza’s people.
The Red Cross estimates that some 1.5million civilians have been forced to flee south amid the Israeli onslaught from land, air and sea.
Figures for the death toll remain unverified. Health officials, controlled by Hamas, claim more than 14,000 civilians, including more than 4,500 children have been killed.
Israel disputes these figures and US President Joe Biden said he had “no confidence” in them. The UN has also said it will not report a figure until it can be "independently verified".
But Benjamin Netanyahu admitted Israel has "not been successful” in reducing civilian casualties.
He said the deaths must be blamed on Hamas - not Israel.
And as the horror continues there have been growing calls for a permanent humanitarian ceasefire to stop the bloodshed.