Two weeks ago Abdullah, a Pakistani-born man living in the UK, was watching the news in fear.
Far-right riots had spread across the country, with mosques being attacked and hotels housing asylum seekers set alight. After a horrific knife attack on children in Southport, disinformation spread quickly on social media falsely claiming the perpetrator was a Muslim seeking asylum in the UK.
“Everyone was concerned, scared. They were scared of going to the mosque. They were not able to do their religious obligations,” said the security guard who lives in London. “Especially my friends who are living in Manchester and in the north, they were more concerned because there were more protests over there.”
Little did Abdullah know that just days after the riots had appeared to subside, he would be at the centre of another appalling story involving an attack on a child. But the 29-year-old was not to be a blame figure, rather one praised for his bravery and selflessness.
The incident, in London’s Leicester Square, left a 34-year-old mother and her 11-year-old daughter in hospital, the latter with serious stab wounds.
Abdullah, who was guarding the nearby TWG tea shop, tackled a 32-year-old man who has since been charged with attempted murder. After the arrest, TV crews interviewed Abdullah about the scenes that had unfolded before him, and in which he had bravely intervened.
Abdullah moved to the UK to study for a master’s degree in project management after growing up in Abbottabad, northern Pakistan, as the youngest of seven.
He describes his new life in London with deep fondness: “It’s really beautiful, the roads are clean, there’s proper infrastructure,” he said. “The parks and greenery are amazing, I’m always impressed with the skyscrapers.”
Despite aspiring to a career in project management, he was unable to secure a job in the industry and began work as a security guard in December 2023 on a post-study work visa. “I’m protecting people, I’m protecting the staff in the shop from shoplifters, I really enjoy my job,” he said.
Yet, when far-right violence spread across cities in England, Northern Ireland and Wales earlier this month, in the worst disorderin the UK in more than a decade, Abdullah was left concerned for his and his community’s safety and security.
“First of all, in that [Southport] incident, it had nothing to do with Muslims, or it had nothing to do with the Pakistani or Asian community. If it’s an individual act, we should deal with it as an individual act, not as a whole community or as a religion,” he said.
More than 1,000 people have since been arrested and 575 charged in connection with the riots, in which people targeted mosques, shouted Islamophobic chants and hurled missiles at police officers.
Far-right activists, including Tommy Robinson, were accused of “fanning the flames of violence” during the riots. Keir Starmer condemned the disorder as “far-right thuggery” and urged social media companies to tackle the spread of disinformation.
Abdullah had never heard of Robinson until he was targeted by the founder of the now-defunct English Defence League on X after the Leicester Square attack.
Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, had seized on a false claim made on social media that Abdullah was a supporter of Hamas – an unfounded allegation that Robinson shared with his followers, before later retracting his post.
“My flatmates told me Tommy Robinson, who has this huge following, is sharing something without even authenticating if it’s true or not,” Abdullah said. “He needs to be responsible for whatever he’s saying because he has so much [of a] following, it makes it a risk for me as well. It is a security risk for me.”
Abdullah described his gratitude for the outpouring of appreciation and praise that he has received since the incident, including being recognised for his bravery at the Pakistani high commission earlier this week.
“They’re saying: ‘Well done Abdullah, hero of Leicester Square’,” he said. “All of my relatives, friends are going to my home [in Pakistan] and meeting my parents, my siblings. It’s just like Eid, people are coming there and celebrating like: ‘Your son has made our whole country proud’.”
He added: “After the [Leicester Square] incident, it’s proved that we Muslims, we Pakistanis, we Asians are peaceful. We are here to save people. We are here to protect the English community, our own community. This is our country, we came here as a choice so we are protectors, not attackers.”
He said he hoped to apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK and secure a job in project management. “I would love to stay in this country because I love this country.”
The Conservative peer Aamer Sarfraz described Abdullah as a “real life hero” whose “actions have single-handedly shut down the narrative of the far-right protesters”.
“His bravery also sheds light on the largely unsung workforce of security guards, who protect us every day, without ever really being recognised,” Lord Sarfraz added.
Ioan Pintaru appeared at Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday charged with attempted murder and possession of a bladed article in a public place.
Pintaru, a Romanian citizen of no fixed address, was remanded in custody and will appear at the Old Bailey on 10 September.