Eritrea Embassy Rejects Reported Nationality of Man in Harrow Incident

August 21, 2026
By Mintesinot Nigussie

The Eritrean Embassy in the United Kingdom has rejected reports identifying a 33-year-old man involved in an incident outside St John’s Church in Harrow, North London, as an Eritrean national, saying it has found no record of him as a citizen of Eritrea.

In a statement issued on August 19, the embassy said it had sought evidence from Harrow Crown Court confirming Bruke Desalagne’s reported nationality but had not received documentation establishing that he was Eritrean.

The embassy also said it had sought evidence from media organisations, including the BBC, Daily Mail, The Telegraph and GB News, regarding reports identifying Desalagne as Eritrean.

The statement did not provide details of the court case or explain how Desalagne's nationality had been determined by British authorities.

The embassy used the case to raise wider concerns about the identification of Eritrean nationals in asylum and immigration proceedings in the UK and Europe.

It claimed that between 50 percent and 70 percent of asylum applicants identifying themselves as Eritrean were not of Eritrean origin. The embassy did not provide a source or supporting evidence for the estimate.

It argued that false nationality claims had complicated immigration procedures and called on British and European authorities to review their policies for determining applicants' countries of origin.

The embassy also referred to investigations by the UK Home Office into cases in which migrants allegedly claimed to have deceived immigration officials in order to obtain residency.

The Eritrean government has previously raised concerns about the treatment and identification of Eritrean nationals in European asylum systems.

The embassy said it condemned the misrepresentation of Eritrean nationality, describing it as inconsistent with the cultural values and principles of Eritrean society.

The embassy's claims about the prevalence of false Eritrean nationality claims were not independently substantiated in the statement.

Source: FSX Business News