Bradford man sentenced for terrorism offences

A man from Bradford has been sentenced to just shy of five years in prison after pleading guilty to possessing terrorist publications.

Umar Hafeez, the 38-year-old who pleaded guilty at hearing at Leeds Crown Court in December, was charged with thirteen offences of possessing a record likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000, following an intelligence led investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing North East.

Hundreds of graphic videos, documents and publications were located on Hafeez’s laptop computer including guides to the making and use of weapons and explosives. Amongst this was a vast quantity of material highlighting his mind-set and support for proscribed groups, information he claimed was research for a book he was planning to write.

A letter from 2015, written by Hafeez, was also recovered, where he stated he hoped other members of his family could be brave, be able-bodied and use the skills they learned to become a martyr.

Detective Chief Superintendent Martin Snowden, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said: “Hafeez knew that much of the material he had downloaded had been produced by proscribed groups and the violent and extreme nature of the content. These publications have featured in numerous counter terrorism investigations and can be incredibly dangerous if accessed and acted upon by those wishing to commit the most extreme violent acts.

“Whilst there was no evidence of intent to personally act in this case, it is clear that Hafeez holds a deep ideology in support of Daesh and anti-western sentiment – this could have manifested itself in to even more extreme behaviour if he had not come to the attention of the authorities.”