Man jailed after sharing extremist content online

A man from east London has been jailed for six years after sharing Daesh propaganda and terrorist material via social media.

On 29 March 2022, Ismail Kissa was stopped at Stansted Airport by ports officers from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) using powers under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

Officers examined two mobile phones he was carrying and found a number of files and videos of concern linked to Daesh and Islamist terrorism.

He was arrested and questioned by officers about the content on his phone. He was released on bail and the phones were sent for further forensic examination, which found that he was a member of various extremist chat groups on the Telegram app. It was discovered that he had shared a number of Daesh propaganda videos and terrorist content with others on these groups.

Officers also found an instructional video on one of his phones which contained details of how to make a ‘molotov cocktail’ device.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “This conviction has come about as a result of a Schedule 7 stop at the airport, which led to officers identifying extremist material on his phones and then launching an investigation.

“This case demonstrates how valuable it is that SO15 is part of a national Counter Terrorism network that works closely with colleagues around the country to keep the public safe, and deal with people that support extreme ideologies and we suspect of terrorism offences.

“We know that the sharing of this type of material online can lead to people becoming radicalised – particularly some young people who may be more vulnerable to malign influences. If you see this kind of material online, or are aware of anyone sharing it, I would urge you to report it to us so we can take appropriate action.”

Image by AzamKamolov from Pixabay