Man jailed for travelling to fight for terrorist group

A man who traveling to Syria to fight for a terrorist group has been jailed.

Isa Giga was arrested at Heathrow Airport on 23 May 2024 after he caught a flight back from Turkey.

He had travelled to Syria in 2015 to fight for the Jaysh Al Fath group, which was part of an alliance of Islamist armed factions fighting in the Syrian civil war, including an Al-Qaeda affiliated group.

He was convicted in July this year of an offence contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act, 2006. He has now been sentenced to nine years in prison.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command said: "Anyone who returns to the UK after fighting for a terrorist group will be thoroughly investigated, no matter how long it has been since they left the country.

“We work very closely with other partners and agencies here in the UK and overseas in order to identify these individuals and keep the public safe.

“A Terrorism Act conviction will also be followed by strict notification requirements, ensuring we can monitor offenders closely, even after they are released from prison.”