The three men were motivated by political and religious reasons, as well as money, the prosecution said.

Victim Itay Kashti recounted in the court hearings that he felt “shock and fear” and that the Aug. 24 attack was like his “own personal October 7,” referencing the Hamas-led mass-scale assault on Israel’s western Negev in 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed.

Mohammad Comrie, 23, from Leeds, Faiz Shah, 23, from Bradford, and Elijah Ogunnubi-Sime, 20, from Wallington, London, pleaded guilty to kidnap and each received a custodial sentence.

On Aug. 26, 2024, they lured Kashti to an isolated cottage they had rented in rural Wales, ostensibly for a “music recording camp,” posing as representatives of Polydor Records, the Swansea Crown Court heard.

A taxi picked up Kashti from his London home via a mobile phone registered to an unknown third party.

Both the taxi operator and driver Mohammad Amowar were “innocent parties and as much duped as the complainant,” the BBC reported.

On arrival at the property in Brynteg, Ceredigion, both Kashti and Amowar were attacked by the three men wearing “anonymous-style” face masks.

The taxi driver managed to escape through the front door, but Kashti was handcuffed to a radiator before being told he “would be killed” if he tried to escape.

Yet the Israeli managed to lift his hands “up and off the pipe” and run outside of the cottage, still wearing handcuffs, the court heard.

Kashti hid in nearby bushes and contacted his wife, who directed police to the scene.

During the abduction, Kashti “suffered swollen and bruised eyelids, a swollen nose and bruising to his back, knees and leg and a cut to the scalp,” the BBC reported.

Prosecutor Craig Jones said that the three convicts executed a “careful and elaborate” plan, which was discussed in “minute detail” over the Telegram messaging app.

Their aim was to “kidnap the complainant,” he noted.

They brought handcuffs and cable ties to the cottage, and also tried to source ketamine to drug their victim. The trio “perceived [Kashti] to be a wealthy individual” and intended to extort money from him, Jones continued.

Leading up to the failed kidnapping, cryptocurrency arrangements were discussed by the convicts in order to launder the funds obtained from the victim, and escape routes were considered, the prosecutor said.

“All three of us have complete 100% faith in Allah so we can’t fail,” one of their messages read.

Michael Cray of the Crown Prosecution Service was quoted by the BBC as saying, “This must have been truly terrifying for the two victims, who had no idea they were walking into a trap.

“We would like to thank them for supporting this prosecution and hope the fact these offenders have been brought to justice will help them move forward with their lives.”