Police consider both incidents to be targeted attacks and are investigating possible links between them
Major (retired) Adil Raja. SCREENSHOT
London’s Counter Terrorism Police (CTP) are investigating attacks on YouTubers Adil Raja and Shahzad Akbar in Chesham and Cambridge, which are believed to be “coordinated attacks”.
On December 24, 2025, Adil Raja’s home in Chesham was burgled by two men wearing dark clothing. The property was empty at the time and police are treating the incident as targeted.
Shahzad Akbar, former accountability officer in Imran Khan’s government, was attacked twice. On December 24, 2025, he was attacked at his home in Cambridge, suffering broken bones to his nose and jaw. A second attack took place on December 31, when two men broke a window and tried to set fire to his house.
Police are treating both incidents as targeted attacks and are investigating possible links between them. The investigation into the first attack on Akbar, which took place at around 8:08 a.m. on December 24, was subsequently handed over to the CTP in London due to the targeted nature of the attack.
No arrests have been made so far and police said there was no greater threat to the public. Officers are providing safety advice to victims as the investigation continues.
Read: Adil Raja and six others sentenced to double life in prison for “digital terrorism”
Earlier, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad had awarded double life sentence to YouTuber Adil Raja, former army official Syed Akbar Hussain and journalists Wajahat Saeed Khan, Sabir Shakir, Moeed Pirzada, Shaheen Sehbai and Haider Mehdi.
The sentences were announced by ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra in “digital terrorism” cases against state institutions on May 9, 2023.
The prosecution, represented by Raja Naveed Hussain Kiani, produced 24 witnesses before the court. At the request of the prosecution, the trial ended in the absence of the accused, represented by a court-appointed lawyer, lawyer Gulfam Ashraf Goraya.
According to the court orders, each accused was sentenced to life imprisonment under Section 121 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), which relates to waging, attempting or abetting war against Pakistan. Another life sentence was ordered under Section 120-B of the PPC for criminal conspiracy.
In addition to the life sentences, the court awarded each convict an additional 35 years of rigorous imprisonment on five counts, along with a total fine of Rs 1.5 million.
Learn more: Government bans YouTuber Adil Raja
These include 10-year sentences under Section 121-A of the PPC for conspiracy to commit offenses punishable under Section 121, and Section 131 of the PPC for abetting mutiny or attempting to hijack a soldier, sailor or airman.
Under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997, they were further sentenced to three separate sentences of five years’ rigorous imprisonment: Section 11-W for printing, publishing or disseminating material inciting hatred or providing protection to any person convicted of a terrorist act, Section 21(i) for abetting the offense and Section 7(i) for acts of terrorism.
The court ordered that all sentences be concurrent. Even if the proceedings are completed in absentia, the convicts retain the right to appeal to the Islamabad High Court within seven days. All convictions remain subject to final confirmation by the High Court.
Also read: UK court fines Adil Raja £350,000 in defamation case
Furthermore, the court extended the benefit of Section 382-B of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which allows a period of detention to be taken into account while awarding a prison sentence.
The concerned SHOs have been directed to take into custody the convicts, currently considered absconders.
