A 29-year-old man from Southampton, Abdullah Bellil, has been sentenced to six years in prison plus a one-year extended licence for distributing Daesh propaganda online, following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command. He must serve at least two-thirds of his sentence before being considered for parole.
Bellil was arrested at his Southampton home on 18 December 2024. Analysis of his Instagram account revealed he posted videos supporting a proscribed organisation, encouraged others to join terrorist groups, and promoted the study of Islamist preachers.
He pleaded guilty to:
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Four counts of distributing the contents of a terrorist publication via social media, under section 2(1)(a) of the Terrorism Act 2006.
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One count of expressing support for a proscribed organisation (ISIS) on social media, under section 12(1A) of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, emphasized the dangers of online radicalisation:
“We know that terrorist groups like Daesh use social media to spread their toxic ideologies and to radicalise people. People go on to commit attacks or carry out terrorist activity after they were radicalised from what they’ve seen online.”
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