Attack on Adil Raja, Shahzad Akbar planned in chat group: sources

LONDON: The three people charged with attacking Shahzad Akbar and Adil Raja operated through a social media chat group, controlled by two people, where the planning to harm the duo was made and executed last year on December 24, December 31 and January 10 2026, sources told Geo News.

The three men - Karl Scott Blackbird, Clark Anthony McAulay and Doneto Brammer – appeared before the Westminster Magistrates Court here wearing tracksuits and showing no tensions at all. All of them have a criminal past and between them, they have convictions for over 40 offences, according to public records. The three men not only took part in attacks but also filmed their actions and shared the attack videos in the same chat group – including to a very important number yet to be traced by the investigators, sources have shared.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) told the court that Karl Scott Blackbird and Clark Anthony McAulay, between the 21st day of December 2025 and the 25th day of December 2025 conspired together with others to assault Adil Raja and occasion him actual bodily harm; Doneto Brammer, on the 31st day of December 2025 without the authority of the Secretary of State, had in his possession a firearm namely a revolver and he conspired together with others to damage by fire a dwelling house belonging to Shahzad Akbar intending to damage such property and intending to endanger the life of Shazad Akbar.

These charges relate to an ongoing investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing London into incidents taking place in December 2025. The victims in this case are Shahzad Akbar and Adil Raja who are vocal in their opposition against the current Pakistani regime.

According to the police sources, a further suspect – ‘suspect 1’- was arrested at around 1am on Friday January 23 2026 in Birmingham and he remains in detention – he is believed to be the ringleader of the group but has not been charged.

Karl Scott Blackbird and Suspect 1 attended at the home addresses of both victims, evidenced by Karl Scott Blackbird’s mobile telephone cell sitting at both locations, according to the sources.

At around 8am on December 24, Karl Blackbird went to the home address of Raja. It is alleged that he was with Clark McAulay, their faces were partially concealed. They repeatedly knocked on his front door. One of the men filmed what was happening on his mobile phone. The door was not answered as Raja was not present at the time.

According to the police, at 8.08am on December 24 2025 a male wearing a high visibility coat, an orange helmet, red gloves and white COVID mask attended at the home address of Shahzad Akbar. The prosecution alleges that this male was Suspect 1, sources shared – he is in police custody. This man rang the doorbell. When Akbar opened his front door, he was asked by the male, “are you Shazad Akbar?” When he confirmed this, he was attacked by the male. He was struck multiple times to the face with closed fists. Akbar fell to the ground, but the attack continued. The attacker recorded the attack on his mobile telephone, according to the police and Akbar.

At around 4pm on December 31 2025, Akbar’s property was again targeted when Shahzad and family were away and had left just five minutes before. At this time, CCTV showed that two masked men approached the property. One of the males was slim in build. The other man was larger in build, the prosecution alleged that this was Doneto Brammer. Shahzad Akbar has said that the slimmer male was armed with a loaded firearm, a revolver and a mobile phone in his hand to record the entirety of the incident. The other man was in possession of a piece of white paper material and a lighter – he tried to cause arson. The slimmer male fired three shots from the firearm into the ground floor front window of the property, which caused the glass to smash.

Sources said the police seized several phones and burner phones of the suspects which showed that Clark McAulay and Carl Blackbird were connected to Suspect 1. Several phones seized showed that the group operated through a chat group with suspect 1 and an unidentified person whose identity is not known. The group shared videos of the attack, sources shared.

According to publicly available information, all three have convictions. All have been remanded into custody till the mid of February.