Convicted Terrorist Runs for Birmingham City Council

Shahid Butt, who served prison time for a terror plot, is now seeking elected office in the UK's second-largest city.

Jan. 29, 2026 at 12:07pm

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Shahid Butt, a Muslim activist who was convicted and imprisoned in Yemen in 1999 for his role in a terror plot targeting the British consulate, an Anglican church, and a Swiss-owned hotel, is now running for a seat on the Birmingham City Council in the UK's upcoming local elections. Butt maintains his innocence, claiming his confession was coerced, but his candidacy has sparked controversy in Birmingham, which has faced heightened communal tensions in recent years.

Why it matters

Butt's candidacy highlights the complex and divisive issues of identity politics, foreign policy, and public order that have been simmering in Birmingham, which has one of the largest Muslim populations in the UK. His past terror conviction and his recent social media comments endorsing violence have raised concerns about the potential for further communal tensions and a 'Muslim sectarian sweep' in the local elections.

The details

Butt was convicted by a Yemeni court in 1999 and sentenced to five years in prison for forming an armed gang and conspiring to bomb the British consulate in Aden, an Anglican church, and a Swiss-owned hotel in Yemen. He is now running for a seat on the Birmingham City Council as a candidate for the newly formed Independent Candidates Alliance. Butt's candidacy comes as Birmingham has faced renewed strains over foreign policy, identity politics, and public order, including tensions around an Aston Villa-Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer match last November, where Butt called on Muslims to travel to Birmingham to 'prevent the Israeli team's supporters from desecrating and dirtying the city'.

  • Butt was convicted and sentenced in Yemen in 1999.
  • Butt is running for Birmingham City Council in the May 7, 2026 local elections.

The players

Shahid Butt

A Muslim activist who was convicted and imprisoned in Yemen in 1999 for his role in a terror plot, and is now running for a seat on the Birmingham City Council.

Independent Candidates Alliance

A newly formed political group that Butt is running for in the Birmingham City Council elections.

Akhmed Yakoob

A co-founder of the Independent Candidates Alliance who ran unsuccessfully in Birmingham constituencies during the 2024 general election on a pro-Gaza platform.

Shakeel Afsar

A co-founder of the Independent Candidates Alliance who ran unsuccessfully in Birmingham constituencies during the 2024 general election on a pro-Gaza platform.

Abu Hamza

The extremist preacher who was said to have sent the group that included Butt to carry out violence in Yemen.

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What they’re saying

“Muslims are not pacifists. If somebody comes into your face, you knock his teeth out — that's my message to the youth.”

— Shahid Butt

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Shahid Butt to remain on the ballot for the Birmingham City Council elections.

The takeaway

Butt's candidacy highlights the ongoing tensions in Birmingham over issues of identity, foreign policy, and public order, and raises concerns about the potential for further communal divisions and a 'Muslim sectarian sweep' in the upcoming local elections.