Man jailed for distributing terrorist material

Zaheed Hossen, 30 from north London, was sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on 10th December to seven years’ imprisonment, after being found guilty on 8th August for five counts of disseminating terrorist publications, following an investigation by the Met Counter Terrorism Command.

Police began their investigation into Hossen in August 2020, after he was stopped and examined by officers in Stansted Airport while Hossen was on his way to Turkey. Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act (2000) gives police powers to question people passing through the UK’s borders.

Counter Terrorism Policing describe Schedule 7 as allowing the police force: “to stop, question and when necessary, search and detain individuals and goods travelling through the UK’s borders to determine whether they may be involved or concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.”

Hossen was let go, but officers took his phone to carry out further enquiries. When he returned to the UK, he was arrested for suspected possession of material that was assessed to have breached terrorism legislation, though denied any knowledge of it at the time. Released on bail, further investigation continued, and enquiries identified additional offences in sharing terrorism-related documents with others.

Hossen pleaded not guilty to give counts of disseminating terrorist material at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 3rd February 2023, and the case progressed to trial, resulting in his conviction and sentence.

Head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, commander Dominic Murphy, said: “This investigation came about after officers stopped Hossen using ‘Schedule 7’ powers as he travelled through the airport. These powers help us 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.”