Close X
Monday, November 25, 2024
ADVT 
National

Pakistan-Born Former Straight-A Student Wanting To Join ISIS Is Jailed For Six Years

IANS, 24 Nov, 2017 03:35 PM

    A 22-year-old Pakistan-born man has been jailed for six years in the UK for preparing acts of terrorism after being arrested in an undercover police operation last year.

     

    Mubashir Jamil, a warehouse worker for the online retailer Amazon, had told an undercover police officer he wanted to wear a suicide vest and "press the button", the Old Bailey court in London heard during his trial.

     

    He was arrested in April, a few days before he planned to leave for Turkey, after messaging the officer on a mobile app in which he also revealed that he wanted to fight for the ISIS terror group in Syria.

     

    "If you or some brother you know can put an explosive belt on me and tell me how to press, as soon as possible for security reasons, I can do something in the UK even tomorrow after I find a good target," he told the undercover officer using the name of Abu Hasan.

     

    Jamil had denied the charge of preparing acts of terror and claimed that he was hearing voices and wanted to go to Syria to be exorcised of the "jinns" that were plaguing him.

     

    The court was told that he had suffered bouts of mental illness and the judge ruled that a part of his six-year sentence will be served in a secure hospital.

     

    Jamil was a former A-grade student from Challney High School for Boys in Luton, near London.

     

    He became obsessed with the idea of martyrdom after surfing the internet for execution videos and ISIS propaganda, his trial was told.

     

    Jamil, who moved to Luton from Pakistan with his family when he was two-year-old, had planned his trip to Turkey carefully and "deliberately" changed his appearance, shaving off his beard after reading ISIS guidance online about how to be a "secret agent" in a non-Muslim country.

     

    Judge Peter Rook said yesterday his crime was only "in part" explained by his mental health disorder and described him as "dangerous".

     

    He handed Jamil a "hybrid order", meaning he will continue to be treated in a secure hospital until he is well enough to be transferred to prison.

     

    Jamil will also have to serve a further five years on extended licence, or under police monitoring, on his release.

     

    The undercover officer who entrapped Jamil had posed as ISIS handler Abu Hasan to persuade Jamil to send him a copy of his passport, photographs of himself and even a copy of the boarding pass for a flight to Turkey leaving on April 30, 2016.

     

    Jamil was caught red-handed chatting to Hasan online as counter-terrorism officers burst through his bedroom door in Luton on April 27.

     

    His online research became more sinister around November 2015, when he trawled the web for slick propaganda videos produced by ISIS.

     

    In March 2016, he was sent an ISIS "application form" by someone using the handle 'abdullah9996' on Telegram, the encrypted messaging app used by the network.

     

    The contact led him into the web of the undercover operation planned by the UK's counter-terrorism officers.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Toronto Drug Squad Officer Dies Of Fentanyl Overdose, Police Say

    Toronto Drug Squad Officer Dies Of Fentanyl Overdose, Police Say
    Toronto police say an officer in the force's drug squad died of a fentanyl overdose earlier this year, with the amount of the opioid found in his system being too large to have been caused by mere contact with the drug.

    Toronto Drug Squad Officer Dies Of Fentanyl Overdose, Police Say

    Texas Man Targeted 12-Year-Old Ontario Girl Using A Messaging App: Police

    Texas Man Targeted 12-Year-Old Ontario Girl Using A Messaging App: Police
    WINDSOR, Ont. — A 25-year-old man in Texas has been arrested after a 12-year-old Ontario girl was allegedly encouraged to send explicit photos of herself to him.

    Texas Man Targeted 12-Year-Old Ontario Girl Using A Messaging App: Police

    Dead Boy's Father Posts Facebook Response After Appeal Court Upholds Conviction

    A father whose conviction was upheld for failing to provide the necessaries of life to his son has posted a Facebook response critical of the judges and prosecutors on the case along with the entire justice system.

    Dead Boy's Father Posts Facebook Response After Appeal Court Upholds Conviction

    Winnipeg Woman Dies In Cambodia While On Backpacking Trek Through Asia

    Winnipeg Woman Dies In Cambodia While On Backpacking Trek Through Asia
    WINNIPEG — A Winnipeg woman who loved to travel and was just beginning a teaching career fell sick and died this week while on a year-long backpacking trek through Asia, a long-time friend said Wednesday.

    Winnipeg Woman Dies In Cambodia While On Backpacking Trek Through Asia

    SEE PICS: Vancouver Driver Caught Driving With Tablet, Cellphone Tied To Steering Wheel

    SEE PICS: Vancouver Driver Caught Driving With Tablet, Cellphone Tied To Steering Wheel
    The Vancouver Police Department's traffic unit tweeted a photo of the elaborate setup. The cellphone — hooked up to a charger — appeared to be attached to the wheel with zipties. The tablet seemed to be wedged in between them.

    SEE PICS: Vancouver Driver Caught Driving With Tablet, Cellphone Tied To Steering Wheel

    3-Car Collision In South Surrey: 4 In Hospital, One Suffering Life-Threatening Injuries

    3-Car Collision In South Surrey: 4 In Hospital, One Suffering Life-Threatening Injuries
    Four people are in hospital after a serious crash in South Surrey that happened after midnight at 24 Avenue and Croydon

    3-Car Collision In South Surrey: 4 In Hospital, One Suffering Life-Threatening Injuries