A Christian pastor arrested in Bristol, England, in November on suspicion of “inciting religious hatred” after delivering a street sermon is still awaiting a decision on whether he will face criminal charges, according to a legal advocacy group supporting him.

Pastor Dia Moodley, 58, was detained for eight hours and released on bail conditions that temporarily barred him from entering the city during the Christmas period.

ADF UK, the British arm of the faith-based legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom, is representing Moodley.

The group advocates for religious freedom and free speech rights and argues that the pastor’s case reflects what it describes as a broader pattern of police action that risks criminalizing lawful religious expression.

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Although the initial bail restrictions were later dropped, police visited Moodley again in January and invited him to attend a voluntary interview under caution as they continued to investigate the November incident.

The case marks the second time he has been arrested over his street preaching, ADF UK said, and follows previous disputes with police over restrictions placed on his public comments about other religions.

Avon and Somerset Police told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that they could neither confirm nor deny the identity of anyone arrested but, based on the date and location provided, issued the following statement:

“A 58-year-old man was arrested at about 2.30pm on Saturday 22 November in Broadmead, Bristol, on suspicion of assault by beating and of a racially/religiously aggravated public order offence,” police said. “He was later released on police bail until the end of December, with a condition not to attend areas of Bristol city centre including Broadmead. These conditions however were ultimately lifted by a supervisory officer in mid-December following representations from the arrested man.”

The agency said the man is no longer on bail after being released under investigation in early January, adding that a counter-allegation has been recorded and inquiries are ongoing. The statement did not provide further details about the alleged assault.

The public order offense referenced by police falls under the Public Order Act 1986.

It’s defined by the government under Section 29B as, “A person who uses threatening words or behaviour, or displays any written material which is threatening, is guilty of an offence if he intends thereby to stir up religious hatred [or hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation].”

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Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF International, said Pastor Dia’s arrest for “peacefully commenting on Islam and transgender ideology” shows police are using public order legislation to impose “de facto blasphemy laws” in the UK.

“This is far from an isolated incident,” Igunnubole said. “It is part of a clear pattern of behaviour from Avon and Somerset Police, who for years have targeted Pastor Dia for his peaceful expression in the public square and have failed in their duty to investigate serious crimes committed against him by those who objected to his speech.”

This week, the Israeli government approved a plan to designate large areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property”, shifting the burden of proof to Palestinians to establish ownership of their land.

The decision, which undermines the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, has prompted regional condemnation, with many describing it as a de facto annexation which is illegal under international law.

In recent years, Israel has intensified its military incursions, expanded illegal settlements, and demolished Palestinian homes, all as part of a series of aggressive actions to steal more Palestinian land.

In total, at least 37,135 Palestinians were displaced across the occupied West Bank in 2025, a record high amid Israeli military incursions and settler attacks, according to figures compiled by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

According to UNRWA, Israeli military incursions have forcibly displaced at least 33,362 Palestinians from three northern refugee camps: Jenin (12,557), Tulkarem(11,862) and Nur Shams (8,943).

In addition to those displaced during Israeli operations, at least 3,773 have been forced from their homes due to Israeli home demolitions, settler violence, and access restrictions.

The West Bank governorates with the largest number of forced displacements include:

• Ramallah and el-Bireh: 870
• Jerusalem: 841
• Hebron: 446
• Nablus: 407
• Bethlehem: 397
• Tubas: 292
• Salfit: 150
• Jericho: 135
• Jenin: 110
• Tulkarem: 65
• Qalqilya: 60

Why most demolitions and attacks are in Area C

As part of the 1993 Oslo Accords, signed by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel, the occupied West Bank was divided into three areas – A, B and C.

This led to the formation of the Palestinian Authority (PA) – an administrative body that would govern Palestinian internal security, administration and civilian affairs in areas of self-rule, for a five-year interim period.

Area A initially comprised 3 percent of the West Bank and grew to 18 percent by 1999. In Area A, the PA controls most affairs.

Area B represents about 22 percent of the West Bank. In both areas, while the PA is in charge of education, health and the economy, the Israelis have full control of external security, meaning they retain the right to enter at any time.

Area C represents 60 percent of the West Bank. Under the Oslo Accords, control of this area was supposed to be handed over to the PA. Instead, Israel retains total control over all matters, including security, planning and construction. The transfer of control to the PA never happened.

Although Area C is the least populated part of the West Bank, with about 300,000 Palestinians compared with about 3 million in Areas A and B, the vast majority of home demolitions and settler attacks occur there, due to it being under full Israeli military and administrative control.

The Israeli Civil Administration rarely grants building permits to Palestinians in this area, so nearly all construction is considered illegal and subject to demolition.

Record number of Israeli settler attacks

Since Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began in October 2023, violence by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank has steadily risen.

According to data from OCHA, settlers have attacked Palestinians more than 3,700 times in the occupied West Bank over the past 28 months.

The number of settler attacks has risen sharply since 2016, with 852 recorded in 2022, 1,291 in 2023, 1,449 in 2024 and 1,828 in 2025 – an average of five attacks per day, according to data from OCHA.

Every West Bank governorate has faced settler attacks over the past year.

Data from OCHA shows that between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025, the Ramallah and el-Bireh governorate recorded the highest number of settler attacks with 523 incidents, followed by Nablus with 349 and Hebron with 309.

Who are Israeli settlers?

Settlers are Israeli citizens living in illegal, Jewish-only communities, known as Israeli settlements, built on Palestinian-owned land that Israel occupied in 1967.

Benjamin Netanyahu – Israel’s longest-serving prime minister – has bolstered settlement expansions since he first came to power in 1996, undermining the 1993 Oslo Accords, which called for the freezing of settlements and a mutually negotiated two-state solution.

Today, roughly 10 percent of Israel’s Jewish population, totalling between 600,000 and 750,000 people, live in about 250 settlements and outposts dispersed throughout the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Many of these settlements are located near Palestinian population centres, often leading to increased tensions and restrictions on movement for Palestinians.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday lashed out at Maryland Gov. Wes Moore over what he says is a lagging response to a January pipe rupture that sent sewage flowing into the Potomac River northwest of Washington.

Trump took aim at Moore even though a District of Columbia-based water authority and the federal government have jurisdiction over the busted pipe.

The 1960s-era pipe, called the Potomac Interceptor, is part of DC Water, a utility based in Washington that’s federally regulated and under the oversight of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Still, Trump, while spending the holiday weekend at his home in Florida, took to social media to say he “cannot allow incompetent Local ‘Leadership’” to turn the Potomac “into a Disaster Zone.” He said he has ordered federal authorities to step in to coordinate the response.

“There is a massive Ecological Disaster unfolding in the Potomac River as a result of the Gross Mismanagement of Local Democrat Leaders, particularly, Governor Wes Moore, of Maryland,” Trump added in his social media post.

But Ammar Moussa, a spokesman for Moore, said EPA officials did not participate in a recent legislative hearing about the cleanup and said the Trump administration has been broadly “shirking its responsibility” on the repair and cleanup of what University of Maryland researchers say is one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history.

“The President has his facts wrong — again,” Moussa said. He added, “Apparently the Trump administration hadn’t gotten the memo that they’re actually supposed to be in charge here.”

DC Water CEO and General Manager David L. Gadis said in a statement Monday, “We have been coordinating with U.S. EPA since the Potomac Interceptor collapsed.”

Who is responsible?

Asked why Trump was placing blame on Moore outside of Maryland’s jurisdiction, a White House official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Maryland was slow to coordinate with federal entities on the ruptured pipe and has not kept up with needed updates of the state’s water and wastewater infrastructure.

Trump said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will play a key role in coordinating the response, but noted the agency is being impacted by a pause in funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

The partial government shutdown began Saturday after congressional Democrats and Trump’s team failed to reach a deal on legislation to fund DHS through September. The impasse affects agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, the Secret Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and FEMA.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt pointed to the sewage spill on social media, posting, “Add this to the long list of reasons Democrats need to get serious and fund the Department of Homeland Security.”

The spill was caused by a 72-inch (183-centimeter) diameter sewer pipe that collapsed last month, leading to millions of gallons of wastewater shooting out of the ground and into the river.

DC Water says fixing the pipe in the aftermath of the Jan. 19 rupture has been complicated.

A video inspection of the pipeline earlier this month revealed the blockage inside the collapsed sewer line is “far more significant” than originally thought. The agency said it discovered a large rock dam about 30 feet (9 meters) from the breach in the sewage line, which requires treatment before the current spill can be addressed.

The emergency repair is expected to take another four to six weeks. The work will address the immediate repairs to the damaged section of the pipe and several other issues, including environmental restoration.

Washington, D.C.’s Department of Energy and Environment says the drinking water remains safe, but has urged people to avoid unnecessary contact with water from the Potomac River, avoid fishing and keep pets away.

An ongoing fight between Trump and Moore

The president and Moore, a Democrat viewed as potential 2028 presidential contender, have frequently sparred since Trump’s return to the White House last year.

Trump says he’s excluding Moore and Democrat Colorado Gov. Jared Polis from a White House dinner for governors set for Saturday as state leaders gather in Washington for the National Governors Association meeting.

The president and aides have also criticized Moore and other Maryland officials for violence in the state’s biggest city, Baltimore, with Trump threatening to send National Guard troops as he has elsewhere around the country.

Moore and other Democratic officials in Maryland pushed back that homicides in Baltimore have reached historic lows with sustained declines starting in 2023, and said the state did not need National Guard troops.

The Trump administration has also questioned Moore about “DEI contracting practices” and “ballooning project costs” for the rebuilding of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. The crucial bridge collapsed in March 2024 after a massive container ship crashed into it.

The president told reporters that his dissatisfaction with Moore’s handling of reconstruction of the bridge and the sewage spill are why he’s not including him in next weekend’s White House dinner for governors.

“He can’t fix anything,” Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington from his home in Florida on Monday evening.

Moussa, the governor’s spokesman, said Maryland stands ready to work with federal officials.

“The Potomac isn’t a talking point, and the people of the region deserve serious leadership that meets the moment,” Moussa said.