Ahmed Ali Alid told investigators that he had attacked Terence Carney and Javed Nouri, who had recently converted to Christianity, in protest over Israel and the war in Gaza.
According to the BBC, Alid admitted via an interpreter that he had stabbed the two men, but claimed it was not his intention to kill them. He described the elderly Brit as "innocent," explaining that he had stabbed him because the UK "created" Israel and "should make it leave."
Alid, who prosecutors said practiced an "extreme interpretation of Islam," said he was motivated by the "independence of Palestine," and, believing that Nouri was dead, added that he "killed two old people" because Israel "killed a lot of children."
He said he would have gone on to attack more people had he not injured his hand during the two stabbings.
The incidents took place in October of last year in Hartlepool, a quaint seaside town about 30 miles south of Newcastle. Early in the morning, Alid walked into Nouri's room with a kitchen knife and stabbed him while shouting "Allahu Akbar."
Before Nouri could fight back, Alid was already out the door, walking down the street. He passed Carney, who was out for his regular morning walk, before circling back and confronting him before plunging the knife directly into his heart.
The killing was captured on CCTV footage, with Carney begging Alid to stop stabbing him as he shouted in Arabic and praised Allah.
As the Northern Echo reports, police were made aware of Alid long before the killing by residents who expressed concerns about his behavior, namely his tendency to carry a knife in the communal areas of his housing complex.
Alid is scheduled to be sentenced on May 17 at Teesside Crown Court.
