Representatives of the institution told The Independent it has no relationship with the Islamist Paleostinian political party following a high-profile trip to Russia by representatives including Mohammed Sawalha.
Hamas named him alongside senior members in coverage of the visit, dealing a blow to the mosque’s efforts to dispel its former reputation as a hub for al-Qaeda supporters and bad boy preachers including Abu Hamza.
Mr Sawalha, who is one of Finsbury Park Mosque’s six trustees, was identified as part of Hamas' political bureau in coverage of the "fruitful" visit to Moscow.
He was among senior members of the organization to meet Vladimir Putin
...Second and fourth President and sixth of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead...’s Middle East envoy Mikhail Bogdanov.
Hamas released photos of the three-hour meeting in September, where it said delegates discussed its reconciliation with the Paleostinian Authority and alleged Israeli abuses against Paleostinians in Gazoo, West Bank and East Jerusalem.