Man found guilty of disseminating terrorist publications

A man from North London has been found guilty of five counts of disseminating terrorist publications, following the use of powers under Schedule 7 at an airport.

The investigation began in August 2020, when Zaheed Hossen was stopped and examined by officers as he was travelling from Stansted airport on his way to Turkey.

Using powers under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act, 2000, officers stopped and spoke with Hossen.

He was allowed to go on his way, but officers seized his phone to carry out further enquiries into the material they identified.

On his return to the UK, Hossen was arrested for suspected possession of material that was deemed to breach terrorism legislation.

He denied any knowledge of the material and was released on bail while detectives carried out further enquiries.

Whilst he was on bail, the investigation continued, enquiries identified further offences in relation to sharing terrorist-related documents with others.

Following a referral to the Crown Prosecution Service, Hossen was charged with five counts of disseminating terrorist material and initially appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 3 February, 2023.

He has since been found guilty of five counts of disseminating terrorist publications following a two week and four day trial at Kingston Crown Court. He will be sentenced on 17 October.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command said: “This investigation came after officers stopped Hossen using ‘Schedule 7’ powers as he travelled through the airport.

“These powers help us to identify potential terrorist activity and they ultimately help us to keep the public and UK safe.

“We’ve seen that the sharing of terrorist material can cause great harm and damage and we would encourage anybody who spots terrorist or extremist material online to ACT and report it to us, so we can take appropriate action.”