BBC Data Scientist Accused of Anti-Israel Activism and Past Arrest

A senior data scientist at the BBC, Hicham Yezza, has been accused of making repeated anti-Israel statements, including accusations of "apartheid," and was previously arrested for possessing an Al-Qaeda training manual, according to the British "Telegraph." Yezza, who was born in Algeria, has worked for the BBC since 2021, initially as an expert on the Middle East and North Africa, and is now a senior data scientist in the BBC's responsible AI department. Until recently, he was also listed as the editor-in-chief of the pro-Palestinian "Ceasefire Magazine," which he co-founded in 2003.

In 2008, Yezza was arrested for possessing the Al-Qaeda manual but was not charged, stating he was using it for academic research on militant Islamism. The following year, he was detained for immigration violations. After his release, he was not deported and is now a British citizen.

On social media, Yezza has sharply criticized Israel. In 2021, he wrote on X about a decades-long racist "apartheid" occupation and brutalization of Palestinians. In 2014, he shared an Al Jazeera article accusing Israel of systematic genocide. He also defended former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who had faced accusations of antisemitism.

The BBC stated to the "Telegraph" that they do not typically comment on individuals, but indicated that the reported issues did not appear to be connected to Yezza's tenure at the broadcaster. They also noted that he was mistakenly still listed as editor-in-chief of the magazine he founded, which the BBC claims he left before joining the broadcaster.