A man from Kent has been sentenced after sharing Daesh beheading videos online.
Mohammad Malik from Gillingham has been sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment.
He had previously been found guilty of two counts of disseminating a terrorist publication and two counts of expression of support for a proscribed organisation, following a trial at Winchester Crown Court.
The 24-year-old will also serve a one-year additional licence period.
The trial heard that Malik operated across a number of social media channels and shared footage of Islamist groups which included graphic videos, some of which were produced by the media wing of Daesh. He also edited some videos which featured footage of executions and beheadings.
Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) executed a warrant at Malik's home on 14 January last year and seized a phone, computer hard drives, swords, knives and a homemade Daesh flag.
Detective Chief Superintendent Oliver Wright, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing South East, said: “Malik held an Islamist ideology and had an extensive library of footage from proscribed organisations, terrorist attacks and conflicts. He shared extreme Daesh content online with others while claiming these videos – which included beheadings and executions – were ‘artistic’ and of ‘editorial value’ but instead they posed a risk of radicalising others and encouraging them to adopt similar extreme views.
“The very real risk is that those who subsequently adopt these extreme views go on to carry out acts of terrorism.
“This case highlights the work of Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE) proactively identifying someone committing terrorism offences as part of our work to keep the communities of the south east safe from harm. As a result of his actions, Malik will now spend a substantial amount of time in prison and the public will be protected from the risk he poses.”
