Man jailed for encouraging violent terrorism

A man who gave an uninvited speech at a Sussex mosque, in which he encouraged worshippers to commit violent jihad, has been jailed.

Abu Bakr Deghayes was found guilty of encouraging terrorism, under Section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2006 following a trial at the Central Criminal Court on 19 January. The 53-year-old was arrested and charged after making an unwanted speech, the contents of which encouraged terrorism, at Dyke Road Mosque in Brighton on 1 November 2020. In the speech he stated that committing Jihad was an obligation and he encouraged Jihad by the sword.

Now he has been sentenced to four years imprisonment with one year on licence, a five year total sentence.

Detective Chief Superintendent Oliver Wright, head of Counter Terrorism Policing South East, said: “Deghayes used a toxic rhetoric that could radicalise others, but his destructive views were rejected by the community he was preaching to. In the speech he made, he was at risk of persuading others to take action and follow his extremist view of the world but, due to the diligence and awareness of the people it was directed at, his actions were reported, and he was subsequently convicted of this serious crime.

“It is vitally important that people have the courage to report their concerns to the police when they witness extremism being promoted in this way. We rely on those who see or hear this sort of messaging, to have the confidence to report it.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone within the community who supports and assist police officers during investigations of this nature. We can only fulfil our mission of keeping our communities safe by working together.”