Ukip's Jeremy Zeid quits after 'calling for Barack Obama to be kidnapped like a Nazi'

The Ukip candidate for the knife-edge seat of Hendon has resigned, hours after evidence surfaced that he had called for Barack Obama to be kidnapped like a Nazi war criminal.

News of Jeremy Zeid’s resignation came as Nigel Farage accused David Cameron of deliberately misleading voters over immigration.

The Standard understands Mr Zeid resigned on Thursday, on the day he wrote Facebook posts calling for the US president to be seized in the same manner as Nazi Adolf Eichmann, who was captured in 1960 and taken to Israel by Mossad agents.

He wrote: “Once Obama is out of office, the Israelis should move to extradite the bastard or ‘do an Eichmann’ on him, and lock him up for leaking state secrets.” In response to a comment from a friend who suggested Obama should be formally extradited to Israel, he added: “Nah, just kidnap the bugger, like they did to Eichmann.”

Mr Zeid, 65, said he stood by the comments and insisted his decision to step down on the same day was “pure coincidence” and had nothing to do with the party.

He told the Standard: “I stood down because I’m fed up with having to fend off accusations. I have to consider my health. That comment I made about Obama, I stick by it 100 per cent.”

The resignation emerged as Mr Farage travelled to Dover today for the launch of a Ukip poster displaying escalators on the white cliffs saying “immigration is three times higher than the Tories promised”.

He attacked the Prime Minister over his pledge to cut net migration to the UK to tens of thousands a year, saying: “He’s totally deceived the public by promising something he knew he could never deliver.”

But a senior Conservative spokesman rejected the accusation, adding: “The PM believes the ambition remains the right one.” Latest figures showed net migration rising to 298,000 for the year ending September 2014.

It came as Keith Fraser, the Ukip candidate for Hackney North and Stoke Newington, suggested British teenagers who want to fight with Islamic State should be given free flights to Iraq and Syria. He said money should be spent on chartering planes rather than trying to stop them joining extremists.

Around 600 Britons, including several teenagers, are believed to have fled to join IS fighters.

In a blog post on his website Mr Fraser, who works as a chartered surveyor, said: “We have many young people wanting to join up with their ‘brothers’ in IS. Let them bloody well go.

“Why are we concerned in wasting our time and resources in assuring these people don’t go to join? We don’t need these traitors in our beloved country.”