Kneecap rapper charged with terror offence over ‘Hezbollah flag at London gig’

Kneecap’s Liam O’Hanna has been formally charged with a terror offence over an incident at a gig in the O2 in north London.

The 27-year-old, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, is accused of displaying a flag in support of the Lebanese Shia Islamist political party, Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation in the UK.

He is alleged to have displayed it ‘in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter of a proscribed organisation.’

The incident is alleged to have happened at a concert last November – but the Metropolitan Police said it was only made aware of video evidence in April.

O’Hanna is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 18, the force added.

The full charge read: ‘On November 21, 2024, in a public place, namely the O2 Forum, Kentish Town, London, displayed an article, namely a flag, in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter of a proscribed organisation, namely Hezbollah, contrary to section 13(1)(b) and (3) of the Terrorism Act 2000.’

In a statement issued this morning, Kneecap said: ‘We deny this ‘offence’ and will vehemently defend ourselves.’

Under the Terrorism Act 2000, it is a criminal offence to ‘invite support’ for a proscribed group.

Hezbollah was added to the UK list of terrorist organisations in 2019 after authorities said they are no longer able to distinguish between the group’s military and political wings.

Founded during the 15-year Civil War in Lebanon – and translating to the ‘Party of God’ – it opposes Israeli violence and Western powers operating in the Middle East, and has strong backing by Iran.

Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.