Dublin man jailed 6½ years for arson at McGregor's pub and knife attack on gardaí
Abdullah Khan (24), a self-described jihadi, was sentenced at the Special Criminal Court for two terror-linked incidents in Dublin in July 2025.
Self-described jihadi sentenced for pub arson and attack on two officers
Abdullah Khan, 24, has been jailed for six and a half years after pleading guilty to setting fire to a pub owned by Conor McGregor and attacking two gardaí with a knife on a Dublin street, the Irish Times reports.
Judge Karen O'Connor, sitting at the three-judge Special Criminal Court, sentenced Khan for eight separate offences, with each sentence to run concurrently. For the terrorist activity charge relating to the arson, she imposed seven years and six months, with the final year suspended for four years.
On 25 July 2025, Khan poured petrol on the front door of the Black Forge Inn on Drimnagh Road, Dublin 12, and set it alight with a match. Four days later, on 29 July 2025, he attacked Garda Gary Lynch on Capel Street, causing him harm, and attempted to assault Garda Patrick Nevin. Khan also produced a knife during that incident and faced two counts of endangerment for conduct that created a substantial risk of death or serious harm to both officers.
He was additionally charged with two counts of engaging in terrorist or terrorist-linked activity — one count for each offence date — and pleaded guilty to all charges.
Detective Inspector Gavin Ross told the court in April that Khan was part of a wider group of like-minded radicals, according to prosecutor Gerardine Small.
Judge O'Connor imposed strict post-release conditions requiring Khan to engage with probation services for four years after completing his sentence. A probation report noted that his primary supervision objective is to support him in disengaging from people involved in radical behaviours and ideologies. The judge described post-release supervision as necessary to ensure public protection.
Khan, a self-described jihadi whose Dublin address cannot be published due to a court order, was sentenced at the conclusion of proceedings at the Special Criminal Court.
Source: Irish Times