Two men who shouted “Jews aren’t welcome here” outside a London synagogue and threw alcohol at worshippers have been jailed.
Hussein Altamimi, 22, and Ali Alanzi, 30, targeted four friends with a tirade of abuse as they were leaving a social event at Western Marble Arch Synagogue in November 2024.
The men were accused of shouting “you don’t belong here” and “f***ing Jew” at the group, as well as repeating “free Palestine”.
Isleworth crown court heard one of the victims started to record the hateful words on her mobile phone, and Altamimi reacted by hitting her arm to knock the handset from her hand.
Their aggressive behaviour continued, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said, and at one point Alanzi threw the contents of an alcoholic drink he was holding towards one of the victims.
The two men were eventually detained by security at the Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Wallenberg Place, Westminster, and police were called. Alanzi then assaulted one of the police officers during the course of his arrest.
Altamimi, of no fixed address, and Ali Alanzi, from Sunningfields Road in Hendon, were convicted after a trial of four counts of religiously aggravated public order offences and religiously aggravated assault.
Alanzi was also convicted of assaulting an emergency worker, while Altamimi was found guilty of kicking a police officer and shouting racial abuse in a separate incident in July 2023.
On Thursday, Altamimi was sentenced to eight months in prison at a sentencing hearing overseen by Recorder Peter Krepski, while Alanzi was sentenced to seven months in jail.
Alanzi was also locked up for an additional 12 weeks when a previous suspended prison sentence was activated.
CPS lawyer Anna Hindmarsh said: “The CPS is working closely with the police to tackle hate crime, making sure that perpetrators who target victims because of their religion, race, sexuality, gender identity or disability are brought to justice.
“We know that hate crimes have a significant impact on victims and the wider community, and we will continue to support victims and witnesses who come forward to report any examples of hate crime they have experienced.”
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