Pakistan university student jailed for learning bomb-making on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube
A university student in Pakistan has been sentenced to over two years in prison by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) for seeking bomb-making tutorials through social media platforms, a law enforcement official confirmed on Monday.
Hannan Abdullah, a student of Human Resource Studies at the University of Narowal in Punjab province of Pakistan, was fined PKR 50,000 in addition to the prison term of two years and six months handed down by ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gill, according to a PTI news agency report.
Arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in 2022, Abdullah had reportedly used social platforms like Facebook and Instagram to connect with individuals linked to terrorist activities in Iraq.
"The prosecution informed the court that Abdullah was learning how to make bombs on Facebook and Instagram. He also established contacts with terrorists and a banned outfit through Facebook in this regard," Pakistani news portal The Dawn quoted an FIA officer as saying.
According to investigators, Abdullah operated under the Instagram handle 'Ibn-e-Abdullah Al-Pakistani', and engaged in conversations with a user identified as 'Professional Cook 67'. The chats allegedly included instructions on making explosives with materials such as ammonium nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal.
"While interacting with a user -- 'Professional Cook 67' -- on Instagram, Abdullah received basic information on how to develop explosive devices using materials like ammonium nitrate, sulfur, ammonium powder, charcoal, and other components," he said.
This activity was reportedly flagged by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which provided the FIA with chat logs and email evidence tied to the suspect's Instagram account.
"The FIA officer said it received a complaint against the suspect from the FBI, which provided his (Abdullah) conversations with the Iraq-based account, and the email address used to create the Instagram handle 'Ibn-e-Abdullah Al-Pakistani'."
Investigators also claimed Abdullah had been watching YouTube videos on bomb-making and searching for related materials on Amazon.
The officer said Abdullah used to watch bomb-making videos on YouTube and searched on the American e-commerce website Amazon for ingredients mentioned in the Instagram conversations related to bomb-making.
Despite the charges, Abdullah claimed his interest was driven purely by curiosity.
Abdullah, in his defence, told the court he sought bomb making information only out of curiosity.
The court noted that no evidence was found to indicate that Abdullah attempted to manufacture explosives or had formal links to any terrorist group.
No evidence was found to suggest that he tried to manufacture any explosive materials using the information or had allegiance with any terror organisation.
Abdullah had been out on bail since 2023 and was taken into custody following the court's ruling.
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