A muslim preacher who duped his TikTok faithful into giving nearly GBP 500,000 for Palestine aid has admitted that he blew the lot on luxury cars and designer watches.
Hard-line Islamic cleric Dehran Asanov, 34, known to his 400,000 followers as 'Abdelhamid', made 37 separate online appeals for cash for Palestine.
But on 30th June, he confessed at the Dusseldorf Regional Court, in western Germany, to pocketing almost every penny to fund his lavish VIP lifestyle.
Salafist preacher Dehran Asanov, 33, alias Abdelhamid, from Duesseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia State, Germany, poses in undated photo. He reportedly spent over EUR 353,575 (GBP 296,331) from donations on his posh lifestyle. Note: Image is a screenshot from video. (@abdelhamid_offiziell/Newsflash/NX)
Asanov, whose fake appeals clocked up more than 10 million likes, admitted that he had fraudulently taken the cash between 2021 and October last year (2024) when he was arrested.
Prosecutors told the court how one appeal alone netted him EUR 78,000 (GBP 66,883).
But instead of sending the donations to Palestine, Asanov bought himself a top-of-the-range BMW AMG for EUR 71,600 (GBP 61,399).
During a search after his arrest, the police seized wads of EUR 100 banknotes worth EUR 20,000, designer handbags, and a GBP 15,000 Rolex GMT Master Batman watch.
Picture shows the Mercedes-AMG seized at the Salafist preacher's home, undated. The purchase price was around €75,000, paid for with donations. Note: Police photo. (Police Dusseldorf/Newsflash/NX)
Police say he had collected EUR 497,090.31 (GBP 426,289.74) via Instagram alone since March 2021.
And with astonishing brass neck, he was also claiming social security benefits from the local job centre, now the subject of a separate criminal investigation for welfare fraud.
His wife, named only as Gjulten I., 33, admitted to the court that she opened crooked bank accounts for Asanov so he could hide the cash with bent bookkeeping.
Image shows a seized Rolex watch, undated photo. Salafist preacher Dehran Asanov, 33, alias Abdelhamid, from Duesseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia State, Germany, spent over EUR 353,575 (GBP 296,331) from donations on his posh lifestyle. Note: Licensed content. (Police Dusseldorf/Newsflash)
The police had begun their investigation after suspicions that Asanov was secretly raising money for Hamas and other terror groups emerged.
They were astonished, say local media reports, that he kept everything for himself.
But Asanov is likely to be jailed for just three years after he made a plea bargain with prosecutors to confess.
His Macedonian-born wife is likely to escape with a suspended jail sentence, according to local media reports.
(Joseph Golder / newsX)