A teenager who collected terrorist documents and provided cyber security support to a terrorist group has been jailed following an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London.
Yusuf Shah, of Ilford, was 16 years old when he was stopped at Heathrow under schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act in January 2024.
Detectives analysed his mobile phone and computer and found Shah had been active on social media, expressing support for the activities of terrorist groups such as Al Qaida and Tehrik-e-Taliban. Despite his young age, Mr Shah also offered technical knowledge to the terrorist groups, including advice on cybersecurity and how to avoid detection when making cryptocurrency payments.
After a five-week trial at Kingston Crown Court, Mr Shah was convicted of one count of entering into or becoming concerned in an arrangement as a result of which money or other property is made available or is to be made available to another on dates between 26 March 2024 and 5 April 2024, contrary to section 17 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
He was also convicted of one count of providing instruction or training and at the time knew that a person receiving it intended to use the training in connection with the commission of preparation of acts of terrorism or for assisting the commission or preparation of acts of terrorism, on dates between 30 March 2024 and 4 April 2024, contrary to Section 6(1)(a) of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Additionally, Mr Shah was convicted on three counts of collecting terrorist materials, contrary to section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
At Kingston Crown Court on Tuesday, Mr Shah, 18, was sentenced to four years and two months in prison. He was subject to a 10-year notification order.
Commander Helen Flanagan, head of CTP London, said, “This case should act as another warning to parents and carers to be aware of what their children are doing online.
“Our investigation showed that Shah was being drawn into extremist and terrorist material and ideologies when he was only 13 or 14 years old. This is reflective of a growing trend of young people being radicalised and accessing extremely dangerous and violent terrorist ideologies and material online.
“Even at the age of just 16, Shah had enough knowledge of the online world to be able to provide practical advice to terrorist groups on how to make anonymous cryptocurrency payments. It is vital that parents and carers are aware of what children are doing on the internet, especially if they are accessing social media platforms. I would implore you to have conversations, to be inquisitive about what your children are doing online, and if you have any concerns, then there is help available to you via the ACT Early website.”
The download of the data on Mr Shah’s phone by CTP London officers revealed he had accessed an online magazine published by the terrorist group al-Qaeda that contained practical information on how to carry out different acts of terrorism. He had downloaded documents providing instructions on how to make explosives and explosive devices, and documents that included instructions on the use of different types of weapons.
Mr Shah had also engaged in chat groups that supported terrorist groups, involving people from all over the world, on the messaging app Telegram. Shah offered himself to these chat groups as someone who shared their violent ideology and could help them with technical computer knowledge.
Mr Shah advised group members to use a specific, untraceable cryptocurrency to donate to al-Qaeda. In April 2024, a donation of $1,376.51 was made to this QR code using the security methods that Yusuf Shah had advised. It was the only donation ever made using that QR code.
At the end of March 2024, Shah was approached on Telegram by an individual to help produce a cybersecurity guide for the terrorist group Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP). This individual said that a senior official within TTP had asked him for this.
Mr Shah quickly produced a document titled ‘A Guide on Cybersecurity’ that provided detailed information and instructions on cybersecurity and the use of cryptocurrency. He sent it to the individual and provided it to the terrorist group to help them conduct their terrorist activities in secret.
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