Yorkshire insurance clerk guilty of terrorism offences - including owning copy of 'How To Become An Assassin'

Mohammad Owais Sabir, 26, of Bradford, was found guilty by a jury of nine counts of terrorism offences, including fundraising for Daesh. He was first arrested in September 2021 and then again on February 22 this year, after police investigated his financial transactions.

It was found he had been teaching the message of Daesh to others, as well as sending money to the organisation to help free its members.

The Crown Proseuction Service said he reguarly spoke to a person in Syria who “was aligned with Daesh” and spoke about fighting jihad for ISIS and Daesh. They also expressed concerns about law enforcement monitoring their messages.

After examining his computers, a number of documents were found related to Islam, war and jihad. Among them were digital copies of books, including ‘How To Become An Assassin’ and ‘How to Survive in the West: A Mujahid Guide’.

Nick Price, Head of the CPS Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said: “Sabir willingly provided financial support to a terrorist regime and continually expressed his support and desire to travel in the name of Daesh. There is no place for these extreme and dangerous views in our society, and after a thorough investigation, I am pleased that we were able to prove to the jury that Sabir was guilty of these terrorism offences.”

He was found guilty of five counts of entering a funding arrangement, one count of fundraising and three counts of possession for terrorist purposes, all under the Terrorism Act 2000.