Police are treating both incidents as targeted attacks, investigating possible links between them
Major (retd) Adil Raja. SCREEN GRAB
Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London is investigating attacks on YouTubers Adil Raja and Shahzad Akbar in Chesham and Cambridge, which are believed to be “coordinated attacks”.
On 24 December 2025, Adil Raja’s home in Chesham was broken into 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 chief in Imran Khan’s government, was attacked twice. On 24 December 2025, he was assaulted at his home in Cambridge and suffered a broken nose and jaw. Another 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 around 8:08 on 24 December, was later handed over to CTP London due to the targeted nature of the attack.
No arrests have been made so far and police have said there is no wider threat to the public. Officers are providing safety advice to the victims as the investigation continues.
Read: Adil Raja, six others given double life sentences for ‘digital terrorism’
Earlier, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad handed down double life sentences 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 cases relating to “digital terrorism” against government institutions on 9 May 2023.
The prosecution, represented by Raja Naveed Hussain Kiani, produced 24 witnesses before the court. At the request of the prosecution, the trial was concluded in the absence of the accused, who was represented by a court-appointed lawyer, Advocate Gulfam Ashraf Goraya.
According to the court orders, each accused was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for life under Section 121 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), which relates to waging, attempting to wage war or aiding and abetting war against Pakistan. Another rigorous imprisonment for life 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 across five counts, along with a total fine of Rs 1.5 million.
Read more: Government bans YouTuber Adil Raja
These include 10 years’ imprisonment under Section 121-A of the PPC for conspiracy to commit offenses punishable under Section 121 and Section 131 of the PPC for aiding and abetting mutiny or attempting to seduce a soldier, sailor or airman from service.
Under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997, they were further sentenced to three separate 5-year rigorous imprisonment: Section 11-W for printing, publishing or disseminating material to incite hatred or giving protection to any person convicted of an act of terrorism, Section 21(i) for inciting the act of terrorism 7,i and S for the act.
The court ordered that all sentences expire at the same time. While the case was concluded in absentia, the convicts retain the right to file an appeal before the Islamabad High Court within seven days. All judgments remain subject to final confirmation by the High Court.
Read also: British court fines Adil Raja £350,000 in defamation case
Further, the court extended the benefit of Section 382-B of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which provides for consideration of a period of detention while awarding a prison sentence.
The relevant SHOs have been asked to take into custody the convicts who are currently considered fugitives.
