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A barber has been convicted of sending hundreds of kilos to an Isis supporter in Syria after being handed a authorities Covid grant.
Tarek Namouz ran the Boss Crew Barbers in Hammersmith, London, and Kingston Crown Courtroom heard that he “obtained cash from the federal government to help his enterprise” throughout the pandemic.
However in November 2020, the 43-year-old began making a sequence of transfers to a person in Syria. He began off with a small fee of £100, earlier than escalating to between £1,500 and £2,700 a time in seven transfers over the approaching months.
Prosecutors stated these information confirmed the switch of virtually £11,300, however Namouz later informed a buddy that the true quantity transferred was £25,000.
Its recipient was Yahya Ahmed Alia, a buddy of Namouz who had fought for Isis in Syria and was residing in Damascus at that time.
WhatsApp conversations uncovered by the police confirmed the 2 males discussing the homicide of non-Muslims and “invaders”.
Prosecutor John McGuinness KC informed jurors the chats confirmed that Alia had used the cash to purchase weapons, including: “The 2 of them needed to organise and fund a militia that might commit assaults towards the Syrian authorities.
“They talked on WhatsApp about buying weapons and explosives.”
Namouz was arrested in Might 2021 in a pre-planned operation, the place police found his hidden cell phone regardless of his declare he didn’t personal one.
He often deleted WhatsApp messages with Alia however a surviving chat from shortly earlier than his arrest confirmed Namouz writing that he needed to “burn Christianity” and have “incinerators like Hitler – a lesson from historical past”.
Namouz had a big quantity of Isis propaganda on his cellphone, which he tried to cover from police
(Dabiq)
He stated that it was religiously permitted to purchase weapons with the “disbelievers’ cash”, referencing arguments by Isis and al-Qaeda arguments that stealing from non-Muslims is a technique of jihad.
Investigators found a considerable amount of Isis propaganda movies on Namouz’ cellphone, together with movies exhibiting easy methods to construct a bomb and perform lethal knife assaults.
He stated he needed to enter Damascus and “take it again from the invaders”, finishing up public executions and displaying victims’ our bodies.
Namouz denied all offences, initially claiming that he despatched cash to Syria “for the poor and needy”, after which altering his account to say he was attempting to purchase land within the war-torn nation in an effort to retire there.
However whereas being held in jail after his arrest, he was caught telling a customer that he had “made a switch of £25,000” and needed his buddy to purchase sniper rifles and bombs.
“We had been getting ready for an assault and I used to be going to hitch him,” Namouz was recorded saying. “I had a venture in thoughts, purchase a plot of land, construct a mosque and assist feed 30 to 40 orphans then go to combat.”
He was convicted of eight counts of funding terrorism and two counts of possessing data helpful to a terrorist.
He was remanded in custody forward of a sentencing listening to on 5 January.
Commander Richard Smith, who leads the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, stated: “Individuals like Namouz who present cash to terrorist teams – each within the UK and abroad – are enabling others to go and commit critical and lethal assaults, and we are going to at all times pursue and examine these folks and search to deliver them to justice.”
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