Slough man jailed for sharing terrorist video

A man from Slough has been sentenced after sharing a video clip of himself promoting a terrorist ideology.

Shakil Chapra, 43, was sentenced on Friday at Kingston Crown Court for committing the terrorism offence following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE).

Chapra admitted the offence of dissemination of terrorist publications, which is contrary to Section 2 of the Terrorism Act 2006.

The 43-year-old sent an Islamist terrorism-inspired video clip on September 11, 2019, with the intention of encouraging acts of terrorism or helping with the preparation of a terrorist act.

Chapra was charged on the September 11, 2020 and later pleaded guilty to the offence.

At Kingston, he was sentenced to two-and-a-half year’s imprisonment, after which he will serve a 12-month special license.

In addition, he was given a five-year Serious Crime Prevention Order and a 10-year notification order, during which he is required to let authorities know about any changes in his personal circumstances.

Detective Chief Superintendent Kath Barnes, head of CTPSE, said: “The video clip Chapra shared was produced by Boko Haram, which is a proscribed group. The clip showed distorted ideology and aimed to promote terrorist propaganda.

“He shared the clip via WhatsApp with the intent to convince other people to believe the terrorist messages within the video.

“It is often the most vulnerable people in society who are sent this terrorist content by people trying to influence and shape their views and ideologies.

“This can ultimately affect the safety of the public, and can have extremely serious consequences.”

CTPSE has urged people to ‘trust your instincts’ and ‘ACT [Action Counters Terrorism] early’, if they hear or see something suspicious.

Source: sloughexpress