Man who paid terrorist nephew to ‘change into martyr’ given group service as a substitute of jail

A bloke who knowingly wired cash to his nephew in Syria to fund the his terrorist activities has avoided prison.

Detectives at the Met’s elite Counter Terrorism Command discovered Farhad Mohammad, 46, had sent around £280 ($350) across two separate transactions to Idris Usman. who fled to Syria to join banned terror outfit Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.

Mohammad was found guilty of two terrorism funding offences following a ten-day trial at the Old Bailey, and was this week given a three year community order, 250 hours of unpaid work a nightly curfew for three months, and a Rehabilitation Supervision Order for 30 days starting from 23 October.

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During the trial in April, the court heard how Mohammad made two payments within three months between November 2017 and January 2018, all the while knowing full well his nephew was fighting with jihadi fighters in Syria.

Among the evidence, police found a text from Usman on Mohammed’s phone from May 2017 that said: “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.”

After the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) launched an initial probe, the National Terrorist Financial Investigation Unit within the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command took over and found that between November 2017 and January 2018, the cash was sent via a third party to Usman.

Another message they found from Usman to Mohammad in June 2017 said: “Uncle for the sake of God send me six and a half waraqa ($650), to buy a weapon, it is the one, which I like it, and may God reward you with good.”

Also among the messages sent from Usman to his Uncle was an image sent in August 2017 showing Usman sat on a motorbike with a gun over his shoulder.

Mohammad was found not guilty on two other counts of terrorist fundraising – linked to alleged payments made in May and August 2017. The jury was unable to reach a verdict in respect of a fifth count of terrorist fundraising, relating to an alleged payment made in October 2017. This count will lie on file.

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.

“Groups like Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham cause huge misery, terror and devastation. 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.”

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