An Egyptian asylum seeker jailed for raping a woman in London’s Hyde Park was a convicted Islamic terrorist who lived in a four-star Hilton hotel at taxpayers’ expense for 17 months whilst the Home Office deliberated his asylum claim, it can be revealed.
Abdelrahmen Adnan Abouelela, 42, was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison on Tuesday at Southwark Crown Court after being found guilty of rape. The married father-of-one attacked a vulnerable woman walking home alone from a night out in November last year, luring her to a secluded area of the park before raping her.
Shockingly, court documents obtained by the Daily Mail reveal that Abouelela had been convicted in absentia by an Egyptian court on 5 May 2015 for his role in a bomb-making terror cell linked to the radical Muslim Brotherhood. He and six accomplices were sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment for manufacturing explosives in a rented flat in Cairo’s 10th of Ramadan City, with plans to attack electricity pylons and gas pipelines.
The terrorist fled Egypt before his conviction, spending time in Malaysia, Sudan and Turkey before arriving illegally in Britain in April 2023. Despite the Home Office reportedly knowing about his terrorism conviction, officials spent 17 months processing his asylum claim whilst housing him at the Hampton by Hilton in Ealing, west London – a hotel that previously charged up to £200 per night for a double room.
During this period, Abouelela was free to roam the capital. In January last year, he even posted a selfie outside the Imperial War Museum North in Trafford, Greater Manchester. It was whilst living at taxpayer expense that he committed the brutal attack in Hyde Park.
Judge Gregory Perrins told Abouelela during sentencing: “You thought absolutely nothing of her. It must have been obvious to you that she was a woman under the influence of alcohol who was alone and vulnerable. You made the decision to take advantage of her vulnerability.”
The judge added: “You were driven purely by your own sexual desires. You simply did not care that she could not consent: you just took what you wanted.”
Social media posts and court records paint a disturbing picture of Abouelela’s extremist views. Following his arrival in Britain, he marked the 11th anniversary of the Rabaa massacre in Cairo – when Egyptian security forces killed at least 817 protesters supporting the ousted Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi in August 2013. In an Arabic post, Abouelela wrote: “Oh God, make their blood a curse on their killers.”
During his detention in Turkey at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport in 2019, where he spent 72 days fighting extradition to Egypt, Abouelela recorded a video describing himself as a member of the Egyptian “opposition.” Turkish authorities initially decided to deport him but later reversed their decision, allowing him to remain in the country where he married in December 2020 and had a child.
His Facebook profile reveals numerous posts supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, which he referred to as his “brothers,” and condemning Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s regime as “dogs.” In one post, he described how he had been briefly imprisoned in Egypt in 2015.
The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, is designated as a terrorist organisation by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Russia and Austria. Whilst not banned in Britain, former Prime Minister David Cameron stated in 2015 that the group had “a highly ambiguous relationship with violent extremism” and that membership should be considered “a possible indicator of extremism.
Defence barrister Kane Sharpe told the court that Abouelela had been diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder and complex PTSD, claiming he had been held as a political prisoner and tortured in Egypt. However, Judge Perrins dismissed this as having “minimal” relevance to the rape, stating: “There is little connection between those circumstances and your decision to rape the victim on that night.”
The judge added pointedly: “It’s clear to me you do not believe you have done anything wrong.”
Abouelela faces automatic deportation under the UK Borders Act 2007 after serving his sentence, as he received a prison term exceeding 12 months. However, legal experts warn he could potentially avoid removal by launching an appeal under the European Convention on Human Rights or the Refugee Convention, claiming deportation would breach his rights given Egypt’s human rights record.
The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was commended by Judge Perrins for her “immense bravery and courage” in giving evidence during the trial. The court heard she was walking home alone at approximately 9pm when Abouelela approached and led her to the secluded area where the attack occurred.
The case has raised serious questions about Britain’s asylum screening process and the housing of asylum seekers in hotels without adequate background checks. The Hampton by Hilton in Ealing, which scored 3.7 out of 5 in reviews with guests praising its “excellent rooms, fab staff and superior facilities,” was converted into migrant accommodation run by hospitality company SD Commercial. Staff now turn away members of the public, explaining the hotel is “private” and not open for bookings.
Local shop owners have complained the conversion has been “bad for business,” whilst the Metropolitan Police only released Abouelela’s photograph yesterday following pressure from media outlets.
A Government spokeswoman declined to comment on the specific case but stated: “Foreign nationals who commit crimes in the UK face deportation at the earliest opportunity. We work closely with international partners on returns and will always seek to remove those with no right to be here.”
The revelation that a convicted terrorist was able to claim asylum and live freely in Britain for over a year before committing a serious sexual assault will intensify debate over the UK’s asylum system and the use of hotels to house asylum seekers without comprehensive security checks.
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