Shame of YouTube over terror gang’s hate videos
GOOGLE was in the dock again over terror last night after it emerged an Islamist gang known as the Three Musketeers circulated hate-filled videos online.
Khobaib Hussain, 25, Naweed Ali, 29, and Mohibur Rahman, 33, were jailed for life last week after being caught by MI5 preparing an attack.
They shared at least 28 videos showing bloodshed and ‘martyrdom’ on Google’s YouTube platform. They were urging each other on to launch a suicide attack using a pipe bomb, meat cleaver and Samurai sword.
Some of the material was online for more than a year before being spotted and taken down. At least one of the videos, which includes a lecture by an extremist linked to hate preacher Anjem Choudary, was still on the platform last night.
Tory MP Charlie Elphicke said: ‘Yet again this case underlines how video sharing giants need to take full responsibility in helping to win the war against terrorism.
‘It is extraordinary that these stayed up for several months and yet again it shows how YouTube needs to do more to stamp out extremism on their site.’
A YouTube video posted by Hus- sain featured an extremist preacher. Lasting 12 minutes and 55 seconds, it showed images of dead fighters, images of green birds to represent ‘martyrs’ in paradise and chilling music.
In comments on the video, Hussain spoke of martyrdom: ‘What else can we wish for?
‘We wish that our souls could be returned to our bodies so that we can be killed again.’
He criticised people for wanting to be British citizens instead of martyrs and said: ‘Every Muslim should want martyrdom, only a foolish person would not like it.’
Several of the videos were shared as part of a debate over whether the plotters should join Islamic State or Al Qaeda .
Rahman used the videos to radicalise his younger nephew, Tahmiz. He sent him a YouTube film by the radical preacher Ahmad Musa Jibril, saying: ‘The intoxication of death will bring the truth.’
The video featured the story of a friend’s son who died in Syria apparently filming himself and praying out loud after he was shot. Rahman also posted to Tahmiz a video by the preacher Abu Waleed about Osama Bin Laden.
The video was still on the site yesterday.
The gang also shared videos of a steroid enhanced weightlifter and a chant with the sound of bombing and a lion roaring.
The videos were cited during the four-month trial at the Old Bailey as evidence of the men’s radicalisation. The trio, who were follow- ers of jailed Choudary, hatched their plot after meeting in prison where they were serving time for previous terrorist offences.
They were caught with an arsenal of weapons after suspicious MI5 officers set up a fake courier firm to employ the jobless jihadis.
A late recruit of the terror cell, Tahir Aziz, 38, was told he would have to serve at least 15 years.
He sent a YouTube video to his accomplice Rahman called
‘There is more work to be done’
Get Angry Syria, Powerful Reminder. Rahman replied that it was beautiful and warned of the vengeance facing ‘hypocrites’ and non-believers.
A spokesman for YouTube said: ‘We’ve taken significant steps in our fight against online terrorism in the past months, making progress through new machine learning technology, partnerships with experts and collaborations with other companies through the Global Internet Forum.
‘There is more work to be done, but we remain wholly committed to being part of the solution on these complex issues.’