What did Liam O’Hanna do? Charges explored in wake of Kneecap rapper being hit with terror offence

Kneecap member Liam O’Hanna is facing a terror charge after he reportedly waved a flag, supporting an organization called Hezbollah, a proscribed organization. Notably, the incident happened during an event in London, as reported by BBC News on May 22, 2025.

According to The Independent, the latest legal issue emerged from a video that went viral last month. The video was reportedly recorded at the gig held at the O2 Forum.

The Metropolitan Police also confirmed Liam O’Hanna’s arrest in a statement shared through their official website. The police stated that an investigation was launched after the Counter Terrorism Command was informed about the event clip, and the Crown Prosecution Service authorized the charge.

The statement claimed that Liam O’Hanna allegedly displayed the flag in November last year “in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion” that he was showing his support to Hezbollah.

In addition, the police said that O’Hanna will be taken to the Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 18, 2025. Further updates on the legal matter are currently awaited.

For the unversed, Hezbollah is a Lebanon-based militant group and a Shia Muslim political party, which was established back during the Lebanese Civil War, as stated by the Council on Foreign Relations. The organization has reportedly formed military alliances with repressive, anti-Israel regimes in locations such as Syria.

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Kneecap members respond to Liam O’Hanna being charged: Statement explained in brief

As mentioned, Liam O’Hanna’s ongoing legal issue happened when he reportedly displayed a flag supporting Hezbollah. Notably, the police department had begun investigating other videos earlier this month where Kneecap band members were reportedly spotted yelling for the death of British politicians, as per The Independent.

However, the group later clarified that they never took the side of Hamas in any manner. The band stated at the time that they have always aimed to promote “love, inclusion, and hope”, and continued:

“This is why our music resonates across generations, countries, classes and cultures and has brought hundreds of thousands of people to our gigs. No smear campaign will change that.”

The Guardian stated that Kneecap has been restricted from performing in various events, such as the Hurricane festival and Southside festival, ever since the videos were being investigated.

Furthermore, a report by Reuters on Thursday, May 22, stated that the band has responded to the news of Liam O’Hanna being charged through X (formerly Twitter), claiming that the charge is aimed at prosecuting musicians, ready to speak up against anything. The post has been deleted now.

According to The Guardian, the band said in the statement that thousands of babies have already lost their lives after starving in Gaza, seemingly criticizing the fact that the British authorities were focusing on them. The group also wrote:

“A charge not serious enough to even warrant their crown court, instead a court that doesn’t have a jury. What’s the objective? To restrict our ability to travel. To prevent us speaking to young people across the world.”

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Kneecap has been active in the music industry for almost eight years and has worked with the record label Heavenly Recordings. The group has two albums in their credits, including 3CAG and Fine Art. The latter managed to grab a spot in the UK Albums chart alongside other charts last year.