"On the way back, my car was stopped."
Controversial Birmingham lawyer Akhmed Yakoob says he was detained by counter-terror police near Calais.
In addition to being questioned about his political beliefs, he says his phone and laptop were seized as part of ongoing inquiries.
In a video on X, a furious Yakoob says he was stopped by UK border officers before British counter-terror police questioned him over his vocal pro-Gaza stance and political aspirations.
Akhmed Yakoob has aspirations to become an MP and previously stood as an Independent candidate in the Birmingham Ladywood constituency.
The 37-year-old said that under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act, he was detained for “almost seven hours” – the maximum permitted under the Schedule.
But due to this, he missed the last Channel Tunnel train and was left stranded overnight.
Yakoob explained: “I was in Europe doing business. On the way back, my car was stopped.”
He was initially stopped under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
The lawyer continued: “The police searched my car, the sniffer dogs went around the car. Nothing of significance was found.”
Yakoob said things took a turn when Border Force officers told him the police needed to speak to him.
He said terror police then showed up, leading him to suspect that it was “politically motivated”.
Yakoob’s suspicions were confirmed when officers began “talking about my political aspirations, what I intend to do next”.
He said: “They asked me about my mayoral campaign, about my views on Gaza, about whether I knew anything about Hamas, about Hizbollah, what I thought of the Gaza situation, my political campaigning, who funded my political campaigns and whether I intended to stand again.
“The questions were very politically focused.
“I am a stoic person, but it was clear it was politically motivated. I was very open about my views to them.”
Akhmed Yakoob said colleagues inside his car were also questioned.
After the detention period, Yakoob was allowed to leave and was not arrested.
Despite being detained, Akhmed Yakoob stated it would not deter his political aspirations.
He said: “This will not deter me from doing politics and standing for justice.
“Always remember, there is a defence for every offence.”
I GOT ARRESTED??#akhmedyakoob #law #crime #2025 #police #viral pic.twitter.com/WmqZkvMyd1
— Akhmed Yakoob (@Akhmedyakoob1) January 21, 2025
Akhmed Yakoob’s detention at the Channel Tunnel comes after he paid damages to a teacher who feared for her life after sharing a fake racism video with his followers.
He posted a video of Cheryl Bennett, who had been out supporting her teaching colleague, who was standing for Dudley Council, as a favour despite having no political affiliations of her own.
However, captions overlaying the footage falsely claimed she uttered racial slurs against Pakistanis after visiting one house.
What followed was a barrage of abusive messages and death threats towards Ms Bennett.
Yakoob later said he had apologised, which was accepted, and gave her a settlement, which he said ran into the “thousands”