Taliban Detains 4 Afghan Men For Dressing Like Characters From British TV Show Peaky Blinders

Four young men in Afghanistan were detained by the Taliban after being caught dressed as characters from the hit show, Peaky Blinders. The four friends were seen walking around in public in Jibrail, a town in the southern province of Herat, whilst wearing suits and newsboy-style flat caps, reminiscent of some of the popular characters from the British TV series, set in post-World War I England.

The Taliban government's Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice said the men were in their early 20s and detained for "promoting foreign culture", according to a report in CBS News.

"They were promoting foreign culture and imitating film actors in Herat, arrested, and a rehabilitation program started for them," said Saif-ur-Islam Khyber, a spokesman for the government ministry.

"Praise be to Allah, we are Muslims and Afghans; we have our own religion, culture, and values. Through numerous sacrifices, we have protected this country from the spread of harmful cultures, and now we are also defending it."

In Afghanistan, even fashion has consequences. This week, four young men from Herat were arrested by the Taliban for the unforgivable crime of dressing like Thomas Shelby from Peaky Blinders. No weapons, no gang warfare. Only flat caps and long coats proving far too threatening… pic.twitter.com/fBT4PK9oOu

— BILAL SARWARY (@bsarwary) December 10, 2025

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'Only Summoned'

As the story went viral, Khyber issued a clarification, stating that the four men were only summoned and later released after being advised about the religious and cultural values. 

"We have our own religious and cultural values, and especially for clothing we have specific traditional styles," Khyber told the outlet.

"The clothing they wore has no Afghan identity at all and does not match our culture. Secondly, their actions were an imitation of actors from a British movie. Our society is Muslim; if we are to follow or imitate someone, we should follow our righteous religious predecessors in good and lawful matters."

The men could be seen thanking officials for their advice, saying they were unaware they had violated any laws in a video released by the ministry after they were questioned.

"I have innocently been sharing content that was against Sharia which had many viewers," one said in the recording.