Jihadist hid Isil data in 30 pairs of ‘James Bond’ cufflinks
A CYBER jihadist who stored information about his activities with Isil on James Bond-style cufflinks is facing a long prison sentence.
Samata Ullah, 34, from Cardiff, used secure messaging websites to offer his computer expertise to the Cyber Caliphate Army, a group renowned for carrying out hacking attacks on behalf of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
When he was arrested, police found around 30 pairs of USB storage devices that were disguised as cufflinks.
They were loaded with the sophisticated Linux operating system and contained a large amount of incriminating evidence. Ullah was also found with books about guided missiles and numerous copies of Isil’s propaganda magazine, Dabiq.
He pleaded guilty to being a member of Isil and to uploading instructional videos advising terrorists how to remain anonymous online by using the “dark web”.
Ullah also admitted publishing an encrypted blog, but he denied a charge that he had directed terrorism by hacking military information on behalf of Isil and it was allowed to remain on file.
Despite being diagnosed with autism, Ullah faces a lengthy jail term when he is sentenced on a date yet to be fixed.
Ullah was caught when Kenyan police arrested a suspected terrorist and discovered that the two had been in regular contact.
During his first court appearance, David Cawthorne, prosecuting, said: “Mr Ullah’s primary criminality is over the internet and in his communications with others globally including those connected with Daesh or IS.
“He was either solely or primarily responsible for a blog site called Ansar al Khilafah Wordpress. It was really solely an IS or Daesh site.”
Ullah uploaded “step by step guides” on cyber security, but covered his face and disguised his Welsh accent.
Commander Dean Haydon, of Scotland Yard’s Counter Terrorism Command, said Ullah had created online content “with the sole intention of aiding people who wanted to actively support Isis and avoid getting caught by the authorities”.
He added it was the sort of information that may have helped terrorists plan attacks in crowded places.