UK Café Owner Says Police Tried to Recruit Him as Informant Inside Palestine Action

A Manchester café owner claims police attempted to recruit him as an informant inside Palestine Action, offering financial incentives and leniency over minor offences in exchange for intelligence. All information has been verified with a trusted, up‑to‑date source.

Shams Sadiq, who runs two cafés in Manchester, told The Guardian that the offer was made when he went to collect electronic devices seized during his arrest last year. He had been detained in connection with alleged offences linked to Palestine Action, a group designated as a terrorist organisation due to its involvement in violent and unlawful activity.

Sadiq said two officers whom he believes were part of Operation Wildflower, a Greater Manchester Police initiative focused on activism approached him at Ashton‑under‑Lyne police station on May 15 and asked to speak “man to man.” According to Sadiq, the officers told him they were aware of his “full involvement” with the group but that no charges would be brought.

He alleges the officers then suggested there were “benefits” to helping them. When he asked what kind, they reportedly hinted at financial support, help with taxes and even overlooking minor offences. Sadiq said one officer told him: “We’re not saying you can go out and commit a serious crime, but we can turn a blind eye to certain things.”

He claims they also suggested he could help identify individuals with “extreme views” within his local Muslim community. Sadiq said he asked whether they could make his speeding tickets disappear, and the officers allegedly replied: “We don’t care about speeding.”

Just days earlier, Sadiq had been stopped at Manchester Airport under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act after returning from Morocco. He was questioned for more than three hours about Palestine Action, Iran and his personal finances, including his mortgage, before being released without arrest.

The allegations raise fresh questions about police tactics toward activists and minority communities, with Sadiq insisting he has no intention of becoming an informant.