A 33-year-old man was jailed after being found guilty of various terrorism offences following investigations by the Metropolitan Police.
Abdiwahid Abdulkadir Mohamed from Neasden, was discovered to be using a social media app to send himself and store instructions on how to make 3D-printed weapons.
The investigation started as a result of a Schedule Seven stop by counter terrorism officers at Heathrow airport in February 2022.
Detective Chief Superintendent Gareth Rees from the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command said: “He tried to conceal what he was doing by using two anonymous accounts and storing the documents on the encrypted app’s servers, but this didn’t stop us from identifying what he was up to.
“The circulation of these kind of documents online is extremely harmful and anyone storing or sharing this type of content can expect to be investigated and prosecuted as Mohamed was here.”
Mohamed was returning to the UK from a trip to Kenya when he stopped by officers to be questioned and the digital devices that he had in his possession were examined.
After the stop, Mohamed was allowed to leave, and the Counter Terrorism Command’s specialised digital forensic officers took his devices and submitted them for more analysis.
Officers discovered that he was using two specific Telegram accounts after analysing the devices.
Investigators discovered in these accounts that Mohamed belonged to a number of the platform’s extremist Islamist organisations.
Crucially, detectives also discovered many documents that seemed to be blueprints for making and assembling 3D-printed weapons.
They discovered that he had created a private channel that only his account could access, and that he was sending and storing the papers through the channel without saving them to any of his own devices.
After reviewing the files and instructions, forensic experts concluded that they could produce functional weapons and firearms if properly followed.
In January 2023, police confiscated another cell phone from Mohamed after he was apprehended at his residence.
Officers investigated this as well and discovered more proof of his radical mindset, as well as that he had searched eBay for 3D printers.
On 18 January, 2023, Mohamed was charged with six counts of possessing documents that could be used to carry out or prepare an act of terrorism, which is against Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
He was found guilty on all six counts after a trial at Kingston Crown Court on 8 October last year and was given a seven-year jail term with an additional year of extended licence at the same court on 21 January.
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