A London wealth fund responsible for key Thames crossings is facing intense scrutiny after directing £1.17 million to an umbrella group tied to a major terror investigation.
The City Bridge Foundation handed £1.17 million in 2023 to the Muslim Charities Forum, an umbrella body for Muslim-led charities that pay an annual membership fee.
The forum’s treasurer, Shuaib Yusaf, also serves as chief executive of the Al-Khair Foundation. That charity is currently under a Charity Commission statutory inquiry concerning alleged links to Hamas.
Hamas probe triggered by UK arrest
The regulatory inquiry follows the arrest of Mohammad Yousef Hasna in the UK on July 31. Hasna worked for a partner charity delivering emergency relief in Gaza and claimed to be Al-Khair Foundation’s global director since January 2023.
An FBI investigation, supported by Israeli intelligence agency Shin Bet, uncovered alleged intercepted messages between Hasna and a senior Hamas leader, along with a document detailing transfers totaling almost £4 million to the terrorist group.
United States prosecutors charged Hasna with conspiring to provide material support to Hamas, conspiring to finance terrorism, and financing terrorism. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
FBI New York Assistant Director James C. Barnacle, Jr detailed the allegations against Hasna.
Mohammad Hasna allegedly used a charity to funnel millions of dollars in aid to Hamas – a designated terrorist organization responsible for countless terrorist attacks, death, and destruction around the world.
Surging revenue under scrutiny
Rapid growth in revenue following the October 7 massacres forms a central element of the case. United States legal records state gross income for Al-Khair Foundation almost doubled from about $41.8 million in 2023 to $81.56 million in 2024, rising to roughly $100 million for the year ending July 31, 2025.
Accounts filed in the UK reflect similar surges, recording income of £31 million in 2023, £62 million in 2024, and £75 million last year.
Al-Khair Foundation, which paid a £25,000 membership fee to the Muslim Charities Forum for 2024-2025, self-referred to regulators following Hasna’s arrest.
Crossing repair neglected for grant giving
Rooted in the 13th century to maintain London Bridge, the City Bridge Foundation controls a £1.5 billion endowment. It maintains Tower Bridge, Blackfriars, Southwark, and the Millennium Bridge.
Since expanding its remit in 1995, surplus funds from property investments and historic wills have been spent on social justice initiatives, including climate change projects and a slavery review.
Critics argue these vast resources should instead go toward protecting capital infrastructure. At least four other Thames bridges remain closed or restricted due to disrepair, managed by local councils or Transport for London.
Every grant application is checked robustly and monitored. We take active steps to ensure this funding is used for the benefit of the inhabitants of Greater London.
City Bridge Foundation spokesman
The foundation added that maintaining its five bridges remains its primary purpose at no cost to the taxpayer, with unused surplus directed to London communities.
Charities deny funding went to Gaza
Both organisations insist no grant money was diverted to Al-Khair Foundation or international relief.
A legal representative for the Muslim Charities Forum confirmed that Yusaf voluntarily stepped back from his role following the inquiry, while Al-Khair Foundation’s membership has been placed on hold.
The forum stated its funding supports UK work and training for grassroots groups across London and is never redistributed to member bodies.
Al-Khair Foundation strongly denies any links to or funding of proscribed groups, describing suggestions that it received money from the City Bridge Foundation grant as entirely misleading.