Shahid Butt will contest the Sparkhill ward – where just under two-thirds of residents are of Pakistani heritage.
A Muslim activist convicted for his role in an armed terrorist plot is seeking election to Birmingham City Council in May.
Shahid Butt, 60, was jailed for five years in 1999 after being found guilty of planning attacks on the British consulate, an Anglican church and a Swiss-owned hotel in Yemen.
Prosecutors said the cell had been dispatched by Abu Hamza, the notorious hate preacher whose son was among those convicted.
However, Butt continues to deny the terror conviction, claiming his confession was extracted under torture and that evidence was fabricated.
Now, the 60-year-old is standing in the Sparkhill ward for the Independent Candidates Alliance, an activist-led grouping expected to field around 20 candidates across Birmingham on May 7.
Sparkhill has a large Pakistani-heritage population, accounting for almost two-thirds of local residents.
The Alliance was founded by campaigners Akhmed Yakoob and Shakeel Afsar and is targeting seats Labour fears could be vulnerable amid anger among Muslim voters over the partyâs stance on Israel.
Buttâs candidacy has prompted immediate backlash online, with critics accusing him of promoting violence and pushing an Islamist agenda.
He has previously urged young Muslims to âwork out at the gym and learn to fightâ in preparation for potential attacks.
Ahead of Aston Villaâs match against Maccabi Tel Aviv last November, Butt called on Muslims from across the country to descend on Birmingham, claiming âIDF babykillersâ would be present and warning against Israeli fans âdesecratingâ the city.
Footage from protests at the fixture shows him telling crowds: âMuslims are not pacifists⊠if somebody comes into your face, you knock his teeth out. Thatâs my message to the youth.â
He has admitted to a violent past, which he claims was shaped by racism he experienced growing up in Birmingham.
âI am not an educated person,â he told the Birmingham Mail.
âAs a kid all I heard was âf*** off back to where you came fromâ and âP***â and I got angry and bitter.â
Before his conviction in Yemen, Butt had served time in Birmingham for violent offences and was linked to the Lynx gang, a predominantly Pakistani street gang involved in clashes with skinheads and the National Front in the 1980s.
He argues that his background gives him credibility in the community, saying: âI donât have a degree from a university, but I do have a PhD in life.â
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Butt has rejected accusations of antisemitism, insisting: âAs a Muslim I cannot be antisemitic – Jews are my cousins.â
He added he was willing to âbreak breadâ with Jewish people but stressed he has âno loveâ for Zionism.
He has also voiced support for Home Secretary Shabana Mahmoodâs efforts to stop Channel crossings.
The 60-year-old said: “I also don’t want any Tom, Dick or Harry coming over and living in our communities when we don’t know who they are.
“That is not being racist, that is being a good British citizen.”
