Bank staff sacked for ‘beheading’ prank

SIX bank staff have been sacked after filming a mock Islamic State-style ‘beheading’ prank at a team-building exercise.

SIX British bank staff members have been sacked after filming themselves staging a mock Islamic State-style execution during a team-building day out.

The HSBC workers were dressed in overalls and balaclavas at a go-karting centre when they staged a beheading scene, The Sun newspaper reported.

Footage posted online showed five of them laughing and joking as a colleague in an orange jumpsuit, named as Saf Ahmed, knelt at their feet.

One clutched a coat hanger as a fake knife while another held Ahmed by the shoulders.

A worker apparently shouted “Allahu Akbar”, a phrase often heard by IS group executioners in videos of them murdering hostages, before one was heard whooping.

The eight-second film was shot as the workers were on an away day at a Teamworks Karting track in Birmingham organised by the bank, the newspaper said.

HSBC said those involved had been sacked for what it called an abhorrent video.

“We do not tolerate inappropriate behaviour,” a spokesman said. “As soon as The Sun brought this video to our attention we took the decision to sack the individuals involved. This is an abhorrent video and HSBC would like to apologise for any offence caused.”