British jihadi facing years in jail for joining IS and possessing gun
A British jihadi whose group had links to the Manchester Arena bomber is facing years in jail for being a member of Islamic State.
Mohammed Abdallah, 26, went to Syria with help from his wheelchair-bound brother Abdalraouf, 24, who set up a “hub” of communication for would-be fighters from his home in Manchester.
He was outed as an IS fighter last year when his IS registration document listing him as a “specialist sniper” was leaked to Sky News by a defector.
Following an Old Bailey trial, Abdallah, of Westerling Way, Moss Side, Manchester, was found guilty of possessing an AK47 gun, receiving £2,000 for terrorism and membership of IS.
Abdallah was remanded into custody until his sentencing today.
The court heard how the defendant arrived in Britain as a refugee at the age of three after his family fled the Gaddafi regime in Libya.
Abdallah went to Burnage High School in Manchester and Didsbury Mosque where suicide bomber Salman Abedi also attended, it can now be reported.
The defendant said he failed to pass any exams and was “not particularly religious”, preferring to spend time drinking and smoking cannabis.