The Road to Martyrdom

Decked in Hamas’ banners, a ‘martyr’ proudly records his final message. “It’s a great honour to kill these people. It’s a great honor.” This could be any one of countless martyr videos. Except the man, Asif Hanif, is speaking in English, with a strong Northern accent. Shortly afterwards, Asif and his friend Omar Sharif, also from England, walked into the packed Israeli bar, Mike’s Place, and detonated their explosives. When Israeli police found two British passports at the scene of the bombing, they didn’t believe they were genuine. “It seemed impossible that someone born in England would come here to carry out a terrorist attack”, stakes Maj, Genm Yosef Sedbon. In Britain, the victims of Mike’s Place were soon forgotten. But Britain’s first suicide bombing was also an inspiration to fellow Jihadis. Eighteen months later, Omar’s friend, Mohammed Sidique Khan, recorded his own farewell message to the world.