An Islamic State-inspired, self-described jihadist will not engage with probation officers or psychologists in advance of being sentenced for setting fire to a pub owned by Conor McGregor and stabbing a garda, the Special Criminal Court has heard.
Lawyers for Abdullah Khan (24) told the court their client is not willing to engage in the risk assessment or psychological analysis that were requested by the three-judge court.
Judge Karen O’Connor said the court was “disappointed” because the analyses would have helped in structuring Khan’s sentence. She has previously said he will require “significant post-release supervision”.
Geraldine Small, for the State, said Khan, who pleaded guilty to eight offences, faces a potential maximum sentence of life imprisonment for the arson attack on McGregor’s pub, The Black Forge Inn.
RM Block
Judge O’Connor said she will finalise the sentence on October 12th.
Khan, with an address in Dublin that cannot be published by court order, was charged that on July 25th, 2025, at the Black Forge Inn, Drimnagh Road, Dublin 12, he committed arson by pouring petrol on the front door of the pub and lighting it with a match.
He was charged that on July 29th, 2025, at Capel Street, he assaulted Garda Gary Lynch causing him harm, and attempted to assault Garda Patrick Nevin.
He was further charged with producing a knife during the same incident and two counts of endangerment, in that he intentionally or recklessly engaged in conduct thatcreated a substantial risk of death or serious harm to the two gardaí.
Khan was further charged with two counts of engaging in terrorist activity or terrorist-linked activity on the dates of each offence.
Online activity
When the case came before the court in April, Det Insp Gavin Ross told Small that Khan was part of a wider group of like-minded radicals.
In his first interview with the Garda’s Special Detective Unit, Khan said it was “undeniable” his activities constituted terrorism.
He later said he began listening to people such as Islamic State, also known as Isis, and al-Qaeda militant Musab al-Zarqawi online from age 18 into his early 20s.
Khan referenced the four core principles of Salafi jihadism in his Garda interviews, which Ross told the court is a puritanical and literal interpretation of Muslim law that was adopted by Islamic State.
These included a rejection of man-made laws and the ability to declare those who do not follow the religion as apostates and legitimate targets.
His beliefs removed prohibitions on attacking members of the security forces in any country that does not follow a literal interpretation of the Koran, the inspector said.
Ross said that when it became more difficult to visit Islamic State territory in Iraq and Syria, the leaders of the movement said individuals could take responsibility for their own jihad wherever they lived.
During Garda interviews, Khan said his support for Islamic State ideology, and said he had a love for it and had pledged his allegiance to the group.
‘Right-wing mindset’
When asked for the motivation behind his crimes, Khan said he wanted to send a message to McGregor and others with a “right-wing mindset” not to insult the Prophet Muhammad.
He said he was angry the State allowed people to insult the prophet and attacked the garda to show his anger and make his protest known.
He said he had listened to speeches by al-Zarqawi, who was killed in 2006, and was inspired by them. He said he found al-Zarqawi “charismatic” and his message resonated with him.
Khan spoke of being motivated by insults against the prophet by “people with a right-wing mindset”, and said he was angry at the Irish State.
He described such insults as “outrageous and unacceptable”, and said they made him sad and angry. He said McGregor had helped the “far right” to grow in Ireland, so he held him responsible for the insults.
He said he wanted McGregor to know that he was “playing dangerous games”. He added: “When it comes to the prophet, we don’t see it as a matter of freedom of speech.”
He said insults to the prophet are always provocative, and there is a “duty on the state anywhere in the world” to denounce such insults.
When he attacked Lynch, he said he did not expect his victim to die, but he wanted to “injure him to make the point”.
He added: “This was a message to the Irish Government that if, under the name of free speech, you insult our prophet, there will be people who are angry.”
