Kneecap had a terror charge thrown out of court on Friday (Sept. 26) in a legal victory for the Irish rap trio.
Rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, had been charged with a terrorism offense for allegedly showing support for Hezbollah, a group proscribed terrorist status by the U.K. government.
But at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday, the judge presiding over the case dismissed the charge due to a technical error in the way the charges were brought by London’s Metropolitan Police (via Sky News). Ó hAnnaidh had always denied any wrongdoing in the case, and had been granted unconditional bail since June.
The incident occurred in November 2024 at a concert at London’s Kentish Town Forum. Video footage from the show appeared to show Ó hAnnaidh displaying a flag associated with Hezbollah, and he was subsequently charged with an terrorism offence in May.
In August, legal arguments by Ó hAnnaidh’s team questioned whether the charge was brought within the six-month time limit. His defense team argued that the case should be thrown out. Ó hAnnaidh claimed that the charges were politically motivated, and linked the case to the band’s longstanding support for the people of Palestine.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring, the judge presiding over the case, said that “proceedings against the defendant were instituted unlawfully and are null.” Following the ruling, the judge said, “Mr O hAnnaidh, you are free to go,” which was met by cheers and applause in the public gallery. The court was told: “You can do your celebrating outside, but the court now has other business to attend to.” The judge commented that the decision was not a ruling on his innocence or guilt, but the technical error in bringing the case.
Kneecap’s manager Daniel Lambert wrote on social media, “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.”
The Northern Irish hip-hop trio released their breakthrough album Fine Art in 2024 alongside a self-titled biopic which saw critical acclaim, and was nominated for an Academy Award as well as winning a BAFTA prize.
In April 2025, the group ended their Coachella sets with a message that stated: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. It is being enabled by the U.S. government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes. F–k Israel; free Palestine.” A number of industry names including Sharon Osbourne called for them to be removed from the bill and their work visas to be revoked.
Their set at Glastonbury Festival in June was well-attended and peaceful, and went ahead despite disquiet from the U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer who said their performance would not be “appropriate.”
They have since been banned from a number of countries (Hungary and Canada) and been forced to cancel shows in the U.S., as well as in the U.K. while the court case was ongoing. Earlier this month (Sept. 18), the trio played their largest ever headline show in the U.K. at London’s Wembley Arena and were joined by Massive Attack.
