- John Andreas Wik faces up to three years in prison for hijacking train station WiFi systems across the UK to spread anti-Islam messages.
- Wik, employed by Global Reach, used his access to replace WiFi login pages with a message promoting religious hatred.
A Caucasian IT worker is facing jail after hijacking train station WiFi systems nationwide to broadcast fear mongering messages such as, Islam is “taking over Europe.” John Andreas Wik, 36, manipulated the system so that online users received information about incidents such as the Manchester Arena bombing, the London Bridge attack, as well as terror attacks in Paris and Stockholm.
The defaced webpage was headed:
“We love you, Europe.The Islamisation of Europe is already happening and it’s getting worse each day.”
Wik, employed by Global Reach—a firm that develops and manages free WiFi for various organisations—used his employee access to replace the standard terms and conditions page with his Islamophobic messages. On 25th September last year, ten London stations (Euston, Victoria, King’s Cross, London Bridge, Cannon Street, Charing Cross, Liverpool Street, Paddington, Clapham Junction, and Waterloo) were affected, and additional stations in Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Bristol, Edinburgh, Reading, and Guildford were also impacted. Prosecutors claim similar defaced pages appeared at music venues in Germany and a shopping village in the UK, a charge Wik denies.
At Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Wik pleaded guilty to distributing threatening written material intended to stir up religious hatred and faces up to three years in prison. Prosecutor Warren Stanier testified that Wik had “defaced that initial page so it gave members of the public a long message with images which the prosecution say are anti-Islamic.” The message began with:
“below is just a SMALL taste of what’s coming”
and detailed events such as the Manchester Arena attacks, 7/7 London bombings, the London Bridge attack, a 2015 Paris shooting at the Bataclan, and an attack in Stockholm in 2017—all presented with the word “Islamic” highlighted repeatedly in bold. The message concluded with:
“…and so much more…. In the name of Allah.”
Terrorism is of course a blatant violation of the fundamental teachings of Islam, which upholds some of the most stringent and ethical guidelines for conduct during war-stricter than those found in any other system or way of life, such as being prohibited from killing non-combatants.
Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) asserted that during war, Muslims must follow the following principles:
“Do not kill any child, any woman, or any elder or sick person. Do not practice treachery. Do not mutilate… Do not destroy buildings. Do not cut down trees or burn them.”
(Sunan Abu Dawood)
“Whoever kills a person [unjustly]… it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one – it is as if he had saved mankind entirely.”
(Qur’an 5:32)
Stanier stated, “That message inferred Europe was being taken over by Islam and as a consequence there would be more terrorism on UK soil and in Europe. That message was seen by a significant number of people.” Global Reach identified Wik as the culprit due to his use of personal credentials for the hack. The WiFi page was defaced at 3pm and the company revoked his access in under three hours. An investigation by British Transport Police revealed that Wik had previously discussed hijacking the WiFi system with a colleague.
In March last year, Wik messaged a colleague:
“Europe is slowly getting Islamised, I genuinely think so. It creeps up on us. It’s even worse in North Europe where I’m from but you see it here as well. Even more clear after 7 October. They HATE the west.”
Notably, as of 8 April 2025, over 52,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, as well as 166 journalists and media workers, 120 academics, and over 224 humanitarian aid workers.
Days before the cyber attack, Wik told another colleague about the “political damage you could do” with his access, adding:
“Imagine spreading to every person on Network Rail, in whatever world conflict. Hopefully nobody does that, but it shows the importance to limit access.”
The court was also told that Wik, described as an “alcoholic,” had been drinking on the day of the incident. District Judge Hina Rai released him on bail pending sentencing at Inner London Crown Court, with conditions barring contact with Global Reach colleagues and restricting his travel outside the UK. At the time of the incident, Wik resided in Beckenham, though he later provided his current address as a hotel on Gloucester Road.
