Kneecap rapper Mo Chara has terror case dismissed after court rules charge was unlawfully filed

The terror case against Kneecap rapper Mo Chara, real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, has been dismissed by a UK court after being ruled unlawful.

Ó hAnnaidh was charged in May with a terror offence after allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag during a London concert in November 2024, a claim he consistently denied. Appearing at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday, chief magistrate Paul Goldspring ruled that the proceedings were invalid.

Goldspring explained, “Proceedings against the defendant were instituted unlawfully and are null,” noting that the charge had not been filed within the required six-month statutory time limit. He further stated that the case had not been brought forward in the correct form.

BBC News and Sky News reported that the public gallery broke into applause upon hearing the ruling. Kneecap’s manager, Daniel Lambert, reacted on social media by declaring, “We have won Liam Óg is a free man. We said we would fight them and win. We did (Twice). Kneecap has NO charges OR convictions in ANY country, EVER. Political policing has failed. Kneecap is on the right side of history. Britain is not.”

Kneecap, a Belfast-based group with a pro-Irish Republican and pro-Palestinian stance, has a strong following in Northern Ireland and Ireland. Their reputation has extended internationally, particularly after the release of Kneecap, Rich Peppiatt’s biopic about the band’s rise and its distinct Irish punk rap style blending Irish and English lyrics.

The film features group members Móglai Bap, Mo Chara, and DJ Provaí alongside Michael Fassbender, Simone Kirby and Jessica Reynolds. It was selected as Ireland’s submission for Best International Feature Film, further cementing the group’s cultural impact despite ongoing political controversy.