Sheffield man jailed for attack planning

Farhad Salah has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after he was found guilty of preparing to commit an act of terrorism.

Following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing North East, the 24-year-old from Sheffield now faces 15 years in prison and will serve two thirds of his sentence before being eligible for parole.

Salah was arrested by officers from Counter Terrorism Policing North East in December 2017, with the support of South Yorkshire Police. His arrest resulted in the early disruption of attack planning, before a target could be identified.

Since his arrest it has been revealed that the accused had expressed a desire to fight in ISIS-occupied territory and was frustrated that he was unable to travel as a result of his unsettled immigration status.

Police uncovered extensive evidence that Salah possessed an extremist ideology, found to be in possession of a wide range of extremist material, including ISIS propaganda films.

Detective Chief Superintendent Martin Snowden, head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said: “During the course of this case Salah has been inconsistent in his explanation of the evidence. He tried to defend his possession of extremist material and the content of his online communications, claiming his account was hacked and he was merely curious about the ideology of Daesh.

“The jury saw through these justifications and agreed that these Salah was in fact a dangerous individual, who was preparing for acts that may have resulted in loss of life. Salah clearly had an extremist mind set and communication from him indicates that he saw his situation as critical. He claimed he was a terrorist, who would be judged by God.

“While our investigation did not establish the target of a potential attack, Salah posed a very real risk to the safety of our communities. We’re grateful we were able to disrupt his plans before he’d identified an opportunity to see them through.”