Man from Bradford jailed for downloading how to make explosives manuals

A man from Bradford has been jailed after police discovered hundreds of graphic terrorist videos, documents and publications – including guides to weapons and explosives – on his laptop.

Umar Hafeez claimed the material was research for a book he was writing, but no evidence was found to support this.

A letter written by the 38-year-old in 2015 also stated he hoped other members of his family could be brave, be able-bodied and use the skills they learned to become martyrs.

He also produced a comprehensive list of things he believed would help form a caliphate.

This included tactical suggestions for effective protection of citizens of the ‘state’ in the event of bombardment, the development of several media agencies, how to best to circulate propaganda and information and modifying items to becoming IED’s.

Hafeez has now been sentenced to four years and seven months in prison after pleading guilty to possessing terrorist publications.

Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, Detective Chief Superintendent Martin Snowden said: “Hafeez knew that much of the material he had downloaded had been produced by proscribed groups and the violent and extreme nature of the content.

“These publications have featured in numerous counter terrorism investigations and can be incredibly dangerous if accessed and acted upon by those wishing to commit the most extreme violent acts.

“Whilst there was no evidence of intent to personally act in this case, it is clear that Hafeez holds a deep ideology in support of Daesh and anti-western sentiment – this could have manifested itself in to even more extreme behaviour if he had not come to the attention of the authorities.”

Hafeez was charged with thirteen offences of possessing a record likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000 following an intelligence led investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing North East.

He pleaded guilty at hearing at Leeds Crown Court in December 2019.

Hafeez was first arrested in October 2018 and a number of his digital devices were seized and examined.

He was then further arrested in January 2019 before boarding a flight to Europe.

Source: Examiner Live