Who is Liam O'Hanna aka Mo Chara? Irish band Kneecap's member charged with terror offence

Kneecap has recently addressed Mo Chara controversy

Irish rap group Kneecap member Mo Chara, whose legal name is Liam O'Hanna, was recently charged with a terror offence for allegedly showing a Hezbollah flag at a London concert.

The rapper reportedly showed support for the Lebanese militant group, which is banned by British authorities, during his November 21 performance.

He rose to fame after he co-founded the band Kneecap with Naoise Ó Cairealláin (Móglaí Bap) and JJ Ó Dochartaigh (DJ Próvaí) in 2017.

He originally hails from Belfast, Northern Ireland. The 2024 documentary titled Kneecap explores the band’s rise to stardom.

The band is known for its confrontational style and Irish nationalist messaging. However, some of the band’s famous songs include Get Your Brits Out and Better Way To Live.

However, the rapper has recently landed in controversy after a video of his concert went viral on social media. The band received huge backlash on social media, leading to the cancellation of Kneecap concerts, including in southwest England and Germany.

Meanwhile, another viral video showed a band member allegedly shouting, "Up Hamas, up Hezbollah.” For the unversed, both groups are considered terrorist organizations in the UK, and expressing support for them is a crime.

However, the band issued an official statement soon after the video went viral, denying the allegations of supporting violence or banned groups. They claimed that the viral video was "deliberately taken out of context.”

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According to TMZ, London's Metropolitan Police has launched an investigation against the rapper. The police officials said that Mo Chara is accused of displaying a flag "in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter of a proscribed organisation" in contravention of the 2000 Terrorism Act.

Mo Chara, who frequently sparked controversies for politically charged actions on stage, will appear in Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 18.

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Meanwhile, the band was set to perform at a London festival on Friday, but now faces charges amid growing backlash over their performances, after online footage showed them making provocative political statements on stage.