British man found guilty of being Isil sniper
A BRITISH jihadist with links to the Manchester suicide bomber has been convicted of being an Isil sniper.
Mohammed Abdallah, 26, went to Syria in 2014 with help from his wheel- chair-bound brother, Abdalraouf, 24, a close friend of Salman Abedi, the suicide bomber who killed 22 people in an attack on the Manchester Arena.
The Old Bailey heard that Abdallah filled in an application for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and intended to meet three fellow jihadists from Manchester, including Stephen Gray, 34, and Raymond Matimba, 28.
Gray was turned away in Turkey, but Matimba caught up with the others and appeared in footage discovered by The Daily Telegraph featuring Jihadi John, the notorious executioner.
Abdallah, from the Moss Side area of Manchester, was arrested when he tried to return to Britain last year after a dossier containing a list of Isil members was leaked. He was convicted of possessing an AK47 rifle, receiving £2,000 for terrorism and membership of Isil, following a four-week trial.
His conviction came on the same day Gavin Williamson, the Defence Secretary, said Isil fighters should be hunted down and killed in Iraq and Syria.
After facing a backlash for his remarks, Mr Williamson last night refused to back down, adding that the “British people want to make sure that our streets are safe”.
The court heard Abdallah arrived in Britain as a refugee after his family fled the Gaddafi regime in Libya. He went to Burnage High School and Didsbury Mosque, which Abedi also attended.
Giving evidence, Abdallah denied swearing allegiance to Isil, claiming he went to Syria to give money to the poor.