A man from Colchester, Essex, has been sentenced after being found guilty of sending money to his nephew in Syria to support his involvement in terrorist activities.
Farhad Mohammad, 46, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on 23 October 2024, following an investigation led by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command.
Mohammad was found guilty of two terrorism funding offences under Section 17 of the Terrorism Act 2000. He had sent $350 over two payments to his nephew, Idris Usman, who was fighting for the proscribed terrorist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham in Syria.
Mohammad was sentenced to a three-year community order, 250 hours of unpaid work, a curfew between 9 PM and 8 AM for three months, and a 30-day Rehabilitation Supervision Order.
The investigation revealed that Mohammad was aware of his nephew’s involvement in terrorism. In a message found by officers, Usman wrote in May 2017, “Uncle forgive me, God willing I am going to participate in a fighting, either I will stay alive or I become a martyr, it is up to God.” Further evidence uncovered messages in which Usman requested money to buy a weapon.
Mohammad’s involvement came to light when he was stopped by officers at London Stansted Airport in February 2018. Officers found £4,000 in cash and three mobile phones, which were seized for examination.
The investigation was handed over to the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit, which identified that the money had been sent to Usman via a third party.
Commander Dominic Murphy, who leads the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said, “Terrorist groups rely on financial support and funding to be able to operate. While Mohammad’s contributions may not have been vast sums, he was well aware his nephew wanted the money to purchase a firearm and to help fund his fighting in Syria.” He added, “If you knowingly fund someone – family member or not – who is part of a group like that, then it is helping a terrorist organisation, and it is something we take extremely seriously.”
The Met emphasised that anyone considering supporting terrorist organisations financially should be aware that it is a serious offence, and the authorities will take action.
It seems that being a traitor means a slap on the wrist, and not a voyage to the Tower of London via Traitors Gate. That’s progress of a sort, so let’s see what the reoffending rates are for Section 17 of the Terrorism Act 2000. That’s a metric for how seriously the Met Police and the Probation Service take it…
Oh joy, now the free speech brigade are silencing people here as well who dare to question. This country is fucked beyond repair. Well done 👏