A 20-year-old man from Birmingham has been sentenced to four years in a young offender institution after being found guilty of possessing a bomb-making instructional video shared on TikTok.
Court hears details of terrorist material
Adam Mahmood, of Platt Brook Way in Sheldon, was convicted in September at Birmingham Crown Court following a week-long trial. The court heard he possessed a single recording that was likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.
Prosecutors told the trial that Mahmood, who had more than 27,000 followers on TikTok, had asked another user to send him the video via a messaging app in October 2023. Judge Simon Drew KC stated that Mahmood had deliberately saved the video to his phone and must have understood its nature.
"The prosecution say you deliberately saved this video to your phone," Judge Drew said. "You must have understood the nature of the video. Its visuals and subtitles made clear it was a bomb-making guide, not an innocuous clip."
Alarming arsenal discovered in bedroom
The court was told that counter-terrorism police discovered what the judge described as an 'alarming display of medieval weapons' in Mahmood's bedroom during their investigation. This collection included swords, knives, an axe, and a catapult.
Mahmood, a former motor mechanics student, claimed the weapons were linked to an interest in 'Islamic history'. However, the judge noted that ball bearings were also found, suggesting the defendant was 'at least contemplating assembling such a device'.
"The presence of such an arsenal in the bedroom of an 18-year-old was a clear warning sign," Judge Drew remarked. "One that regrettably no responsible adult acted upon."
Extended licence to protect the public
Sentencing Mahmood, Judge Drew said he was satisfied the defendant had terrorist motivations, which were clear from the items in his bedroom, material on his phone, and his evidence. Although there was no proof Mahmood intended to use the guide for a specific act, the risk was deemed significant.
The judge imposed an extended licence period of three years that will commence once Mahmood's four-year custodial sentence expires. This measure was taken 'in order to protect the public in the future'.
Judge Drew concluded that Mahmood had shown a 'high level of interest in, and support for, prohibited terrorist organisations' and posed a significant risk of committing further offences.
