Barnet Council granted him a significant discount through the Right To Buy scheme, amounting to £112,300, just £500 short of the maximum allowed.
Sawalha, considered Hamas' UK representative, arrived in the UK from Jordan in the early 1990s as a fugitive. He continued working for Hamas in the UK, including discussions about terrorist activities and money laundering. These allegations were mentioned in a 2004 US Department of Justice indictment.
In 2003, he became a council tenant in Colindale. The revelation has led to a review initiated by Barnet Council's leader, Barry Rawlings, to investigate how Sawalha maintained this housing arrangement.
Despite his associations and activities, Sawalha obtained British citizenship in the early 2000s, a process typically denied to those inciting or glorifying terrorism. However, he has never faced charges in the UK.