British Jewish Man Hid His Number Before Calling a Mosque, and What He Said to the Muslim Man Who Answered the Call Left Him Terrified

A 21-year-old British Jewish man has been sent to prison for 28 months after making death threats against two mosques in Manchester.

Gabriel Levy, from Wakefield in West Yorkshire, admitted two charges of threatening to kill people. He was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court.

According to the Crown Prosecution Service, Levy made an anonymous telephone call to Al-Sunnah Mosque in Cheetham Hill on the afternoon of October 4, 2025. He hid his phone number and told the person who answered that he was going to come to the mosque and kill them.

Police officers went to Levy’s home in Wakefield only a few hours after the call was made. They arrested him and took possession of his mobile phone as part of their investigation.

During his arrest, Levy reportedly admitted making the threatening call. He said he had become angry after watching recent events in the news.

Levy claimed that his actions were connected to the attack at a Manchester synagogue two days earlier. During that incident, a British-Syrian man drove a car into pedestrians and stabbed worshippers at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation while people were observing Yom Kippur. Two people were killed in the attack.

However, police later discovered that Levy had contacted another mosque on the same day. He called Iqra Mosque in Manchester and threatened to kill a Muslim staff member.

When officers examined his phone, they also reportedly found messages containing racist and Islamophobic words, along with other forms of hate speech.

Levy received a prison sentence of 28 months. This included an extra 10 months because prosecutors asked the court to treat his actions as a hate crime.

Aamir Sajad, a senior prosecutor for the CPS in Yorkshire and Humberside, said nobody should be made to fear for their life simply because they are carrying out their job. He said Levy did not think about the fear and distress he would cause to the people who answered his calls.

Levy claimed that he did not truly intend to harm anyone, but prosecutors said this did not reduce the frightening effect his words had on the victims. Receiving a death threat can leave a person feeling terrified, unsafe and uncertain about whether the threat will be carried out.

The CPS thanked the victims for reporting the calls and helping with the investigation. It said the sentence showed that threats to kill and crimes motivated by hatred against Muslims would be treated very seriously.

Levy had earlier admitted one charge of making a threat to kill at Leeds District Magistrates’ Court on October 6, 2025. He later admitted the second charge at Leeds Crown Court on July 17, 2026.

The case has again raised concerns about the safety of mosques and other Muslim places of worship during periods of increased tension between communities. Prosecutors stressed that anyone who makes Islamophobic threats or tries to frighten people because of their religion could face serious criminal punishment.