A shocking incident unfolded at the Holloway Head Service Station in Birmingham city centre when rapper Omar Abdirizak unleashed a dangerous makeshift flamethrower, composed of an aerosol can and lighter. The harrowing scenes were captured on CCTV and obtained exclusively by Birmingham Live.
The 32-year-old, who performs under the name ‘Twista Cheese’, sparked the initial confrontation after a dispute over being wrongly charged for petrol. He also claimed he paid for cigarettes that he did not receive. In a terrifying escalation, Abdirizak aimed flames at an employee who tried to back away. The rapper even climbed through the service window and over the counter while continuing his fiery assault.
Eventually, to diffuse the situation, the worker handed over a pack of cigarettes. However, Abdirizak’s destruction continued. He used the homemade flamethrower to damage a Tango Ice Blast machine near the entrance, resulting in nearly £7,000 worth of damage. In a reckless move, he also ignited flames into the open air on the petrol forecourt, creating a grave risk of a catastrophic explosion.
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Abdirizak, a resident of Sparkbrook, has a history of mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and schizophrenia. On January 12, 2024, following the petrol station attack, he reportedly called the police on himself, introducing himself as ‘Satan’ and claiming divine instruction from ‘Allah’ for his actions.
Two months later, he was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court, but this was not related to the flamethrower incident. Instead, the sentence was for a threatening TikTok video targeting right-wing activist Tommy Robinson during the racial unrest of summer 2024.
His mental health complications delayed proceedings concerning the petrol station case. Abdirizak admitted to charges of robbery and arson, and on November 18, 2024, he received a sentence of six years and nine months at Birmingham Crown Court, with an additional two-year extended licence period.
During sentencing, his barrister Jasvir Mann highlighted Abdirizak’s cannabis use as a factor influencing his mental health. Mann emphasized that his client was remorseful and currently in a better state of mind. Nonetheless, Recorder Sunil Khanna deemed Abdirizak ‘dangerous’, warning about the severe risk posed by the flames on the petrol forecourt: “There was a risk of catastrophic consequences to other people by those flames in the forecourt.”