EXTREMIST JAILED AFTER SCHOOL RANT
MAN’S HOME RAIDED BY POLICE AFTER HE ABUSED TEACHER:
AN Islamist extremist was arrested at a primary school after telling a teacher they were an ‘infidel’ and would ‘burn in hell.’
Officers later found issues of an Islamic State propaganda magazine on Atiq Ahmed’s tablet computer.
The material came to light after Ahmed was arrested following an incident at Werneth Primary School in Oldham, in October last year.
A Manchester Crown Court sentencing hearing heard how school staff saw Ahmed, 35, talking to children near the entrance of the school.
At first they thought he was a parent, but Ahmed became aggressive when questioned by a teacher.
He then shouted at the teacher, saying: “You are an infidel. You are going to burn in hell.”
Ahmed was arrested and after police found Islamist material on his phone, they raided his home in Copster Hill Road, Oldham.
Ahmed, who has been jailed before for terrorism offences, has now been locked up again.
A tablet was recovered which included a number of issues of Rumiyah magazine, described by prosecutor Jonathan Polnay as a ‘practical guide for committing terrorist acts.’
Material in the magazine included how to conduct lone wolf knife attacks, and the most effective car to use for terrorist attacks. After being arrested, Ahmed admitted downloading the magazines but said he was using them for research into Islamic history.
Ahmed denied that he was a terrorist.
Defending, Anthony Barraclough said: “He is an extreme thinker. He knew perfectly well he shouldn’t do it again. For that, he is an idiot.”
It is not the first time that Ahmed has been jailed for viewing extremist material.
He was sentenced to two years and six months in prison for disseminating terrorist publications after his YouTube account was found to have links to two videos glorifying Islamic State.
After being released, he went on to admit causing religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress following the incident at the primary school. He was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months. Now Ahmed has been jailed for four years and six months after pleading guilty to five counts of possessing a document or record which contains information of a kind likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, contrary to Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000. Sentencing, Judge Patrick Field QC said: “It was practical advice presented in a chilling and matter of fact way as to how to carry out various terrorist attacks.”
Ahmed must notify police of any chances in his circumstances, and a criminal behaviour order was granted to limit his use of the internet.
It was practical advice presented in a chilling and matter of fact way Judge Patrick Field QC