British jihadi jailed for ten years for joining IS and gun possession
A British jihadi whose group has been linked to the Manchester Arena bomber has been jailed for ten years 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. Follow- ing 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.
In mitigation, Rajiv Menon QC said there was no evidence Abdallah was “on a mission” in the two years between leaving Syria after four weeks and the time his involvement with IS emerged. Mrs Justice Mcgowan jailed Abdallah for ten years with five years on extended licence.
The judge said Abdallah had “bragged” about acquiring weapons in messages and was “totally committed” to signing up to IS. Having seen first-hand people being maimed and killed in Libya, he was undeterred from travelling abroad again to “kill or be killed” in Syria, she said.