A 26-year-old man has been jailed for three years after being found guilty of terrorism offences today (16 October) following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
Salim Youssufi, an Italian national living in Coventry Road, Small Heath, was convicted of four counts of possessing information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, under Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
On his arrest on 13 December last year, his mobile phone was seized and four documents containing terrorism information − some of which written by Al-Qaida – were found. On further examination, it was revealed that Youssufi had chosen to download the files to his phone from the Telegram app while he was living in Italy but when he flew to the UK they were still on his phone.
The former electronics and telecommunications student travelled to the UK in September 2019 and moved into his Small Heath address with his wife.
Youssufi had also made a recording pledging allegiance to Daesh after being advised to do so by an associate outside of the UK, as part of his commitment to the terrorist organisation although he initially denied this in his police interview.
Detective Chief Superintendent Kenny Bell, head of CTP West Midlands CTU, said: “In police interview, Youssufi claimed he had sought out the documents out of curiosity but it is clear that he had knowingly downloaded and possessed these illegal documents containing very disturbing and dangerous content.
“We will continue to protect local communities by working with partners and the CPS to pursue and prosecute all those who show support for terrorism or who seek to spread hate and terror.
“We work tirelessly to counter terrorism. Our absolute priority is to ensure the safety and security of the people who live, work and visit the West Midlands area.”
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