Faiz Shah, 23, Mohammad Comrie, 23, and Elijah Ogunnubi-Sime, 20, were sentenced on Friday at Swansea Crown Court for the abduction and assault of a Jewish-Israeli music producer Itay Kashti in August.
The men, who organized the attack in a Telegram group, had also planned to extort the victim and discussed ways of laundering the money stolen from him.
In one message shared with the court, an attacker wrote “All three of us have complete 100% faith in Allah so we can’t fail.”
The men, who rented a cottage near Llanbydder in Wales had lured the producer with the promise of a music workshop.
A taxi was sent to collect Kashti from his home and, after arriving at the cottage, both the Jewish man and the driver were assaulted. The taxi driver was able to shake off the attackers and leave the cottage, however, the Jewish man was unable to escape and suffered facial injuries and severe bruising as a result.
Kashti suffered swollen and bruised eyelids, a swollen nose and bruising to his back, knees and leg and a cut to the scalp.
After the assault concluded, the three kidnappers tied Kashti to a radiator, and told he would be killed if he tried to escape. Kashti was eventually able to escape his bindings and flee the cottage. After escaping the property, he hid from the men in the bushes and called his wife – who then contacted the police.
The men were arrested the same day.
Michael Cray, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “These defendants made detailed plans about what they were going to do, how to do it, and how to get away with the money.
“Despite their extensive plans, fortunately, they could not fulfil them.
“This must have been truly terrifying for the two victims, who had no idea they were walking into a trap.
“We would like to thank them for supporting this prosecution and hope the fact these offenders have been brought to justice will help them move forward with their lives.”
“Mr Kashti was targeted due to his Jewish heritage,” with the kidnappers “motivated by events taking place elsewhere in the world,” Judge Catherine Richards said while describing the incident as “chilling.”
Sentencing the attackers
Each of the three men was sentenced to eight years and one month imprisonment. Ogunnubi-Sime, a 20-year-old from London, was sent to an institution for young offenders.
Shah’s legal representative Balbir Singh admitted the plot was “not very well planned and went wrong immediately” but his client felt “regret and remorse.” Comrie’s representative told the courts the plot had been “highly amateurish in its execution” and he felt “genuine remorse.”
Kashti told the courts, according to BBC News, that the assault felt like his “own personal October 7th” – a reference to Hamas’s 2023 massacre in southern Israel which saw terrorists abduct over 250 people and murder 1200.
CST welcomes the sentencing of Faiz Shah, Mohammad Comrie and Elinaj Ogunnubi-Sime to eight years and one month imprisonment each for the appalling kidnapping and assault of a Jewish-Israeli music producer, who was lured from London to West Wales using the pretence of a fake… pic.twitter.com/10mGlGuXtU
— CST (@CST_UK) March 14, 2025
The Community Security Trust said in a statement that it welcomed the sentencing and thanked local law enforcement for their work.
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