A Heathrow airport worker has been stripped of his security clearance after running a UK-based charity that operates with the backing of Hezbollah, a proscribed terror group in Britain.
Hussein Harake, 29, was employed via a contractor at a British Airways lounge until the Sunday Times alerted the airline to his public tributes to Hezbollah fighters on social media. He runs Zayir UK with his wife, NHS doctor Zeinab Basma.
The charity, unregistered in the UK, has raised more than £300,000 for aid in Lebanon and reportedly works alongside Hezbollah’s social welfare arm. It has held fundraising drives on university campuses including Imperial College and the London School of Economics.
A man wearing a Zayir UK-branded jacket at a shrine in Lebanon.
Photo Credit: Zayir UK website
In an interview cited by the Sunday Times, Harake said: “The charity, Zayer, is split into different departments … we have a department for children, which is organised with the social work of Hezbollah.”
His sister also reportedly told an Arabic news outlet: “Within Lebanon, we co-operate with all the religious institutions, civil society organisations and social work entities within Hezbollah.”
The couple told the paper the funds raised were sent as “containers full of parcels during the war”, adding: “We did a baby milk campaign; we’ve done a nappies campaign; we sent tents.”
Denying any wrongdoing, they described the story as “a failed smear attempt” and accused Israel of trying to “harass and defame” Lebanese people abroad. “Zayir UK operates in accordance with UK law. It has provided essential aid to all Lebanese communities facing economic hardship, and it has no political affiliations,” they said.
“More recently, Zayir has provided food and medicine to Lebanese victims of Zionist ethnic cleansing. We remain steadfast in supporting victims of genocide, and our vital humanitarian work will not be deterred by malicious actors serving a hostile foreign regime.”
The charity has previously been linked to British preacher Hussain Makke, who praised former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as “the greatest freedom fighter of the last century.” Makke has since been dropped by the charity, according to Basma.
A Heathrow spokesperson confirmed in a statement to Jewish News: “We work closely with the relevant authorities to keep the airport secure, and as soon as we became aware of this information, the police were informed, and the individual was immediately stripped of their airport pass.”
