Three men have been convicted of terror offences after a joint investigation by counter-terrorism officers from London’s Metropolitan Police and the seven-force Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU).
21-year-old Muhammed Saeed (25/03/1998) was convicted of five counts of “possessing an article in circumstances which give rise to a reasonable suspicion that the possession is for a purpose connected with the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism, contrary to section 57(1) of the Terrorism Act (TACT) 2000.”
Meanwhile, 23-year-old Mohamed Ismail (11/06/1996) was convicted of “two counts of disseminating a terrorist publication, contrary to section 2 of the Terrorism Act (TACT) 2006,” and 19-year-old Mohammed Tahir (17/06/2000) — described as “a dangerous individual” by the head of the Counter-Terrorism Policing unit of the ERSO), Detective Superintendent Andy Waldie — was convicted of “one count of disseminating a terrorist publication, contrary to section 2 of the Terrorism Act (TACT) 2006.”
The three men hailed from locations across England — namely Manchester, north London, and Peterborough, respectively — but the police bulletin announcing their convictions did not disclose any details about their nationality or migration backgrounds.
Their convictions were secured via guilty pleas, and all have been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing in “early 2021”.
“I am very pleased with today’s result. Three young men have now been convicted of terrorism offences thanks to the vigilance of counter terrorism officers,” commented Commander Richard Smith for the Metropolitan Police Force’s Counter-Terrorism Command.
“However, the Met is also working hard to prevent young people from being drawn towards activity in the first place,” he added.
“I urge anyone who is concerned that someone they know is potentially at risk of radicalisation to tell someone and help them take a different path.”
The British authorities run deradicalisation programmes for suspected and convicted extremists, but multiple terror convicts have carried out attacks after being released on prison early on licence, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson conceding that “really very few” can be rehabilitated after one such attack.
Other European countries have experienced similar problems, with Vienna terrorist Kujtim Fejzulai having fooled prison officials into believing he was reformed prior to his attack.