Latest news with #MohammedMahfuzAhmed
Sky News
3 days ago
- Sky News
Mohammed Mahfuz Ahmed: Man jailed after TikTok threats sparked terror alert at football stadiums
A man has been jailed after posting threats on TikTok that sparked an international alert that ISIS was planning attacks on football stadiums hosting Champions League games. The Spanish interior ministry announced an "extraordinary" security response for the match featuring Real Madrid and Manchester City. More than 3,500 police officers, four separate rings of security, and snipers were posted on the roofs of buildings overlooking the stadium. Mohammed Mahfuz Ahmed, 26, from Cleethorpes, north Lincolnshire, was running multiple TikTok accounts, including one which he was using to share pro-ISIS propaganda making calls to behead and shoot dead disbelievers. On 4 April last year, he posted an image of fans at a football ground with targets on their heads. The image was posted days after an attack at a concert at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow by four men claiming allegiance to Islamic State, who opened fire killing at least 145 people including six children. Another image was posted on 8 April, by a media channel linked to ISIS in the same black and red colours, featuring a gunman in a balaclava with the message: "Kill them all." It pictured the Emirates Stadium in London, Parc des Princes in Paris, as well as the Santiago Bernabeu and Metropolitano Arena stadiums in Madrid, which were due to host UEFA Champions League football matches the next day. Ahmed was arrested on 18 April at his home and police seized an iPhone, a Samsung laptop and two USB memory sticks. On his phone was an image of the Bernabeu with a red target circle at the entrance to the stadium where people are entering. Katherine Robinson, prosecuting, told Sheffield Crown Court: "We say that this is a statement of direct encouragement to commit acts of terrorism. "The defendant had an extensive following on TikTok. He also used hashtags which accompany each of his posts. This enables the user to significantly widen the reach of their posts." Ahmed was found guilty of three counts of disseminating terrorist material and one count of encouraging terrorism. The judge, Jeremy Richardson KC, said Ahmed had "utterly revolting scenes of cruelty and savagery relating to a variety of terrorist outrages" on his computer. Sentencing him to 10 years in jail with an extended licence of five years, the judge added: "I have a duty to protect the public. I sincerely hope that this sentence serves as a deterrent to others."
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Cleethorpes jihad extremist Mohammed Mahfuz Ahmed jailed
An extremist who promoted "violent jihad" by sharing content and magazines has been Mahfuz Ahmed, from Cleethorpes, was convicted of publishing material encouraging terrorism and four counts of distributing terrorist publications in February following a trial at Sheffield Crown 26-year-old was earlier sentenced to 10 years in prison at the same court, with a further five years extended on licence and handed a five-year serious crime prevention order, which will come into force upon his was also made the subject of terrorism notification requirements for 30 years, meaning he will have to keep the authorities informed of his whereabouts and activities. Counter Terrorism Policing North East (CTPNE) said Ahmed, of Crowhill Avenue, openly encouraged murder and acts of violence via the material he shared and he was "committed to reaching as many people as he could". He also added his own commentary to a post identifying new and "easy targets", demanding his followers to "Answer the Call", officers said."A significant portion of this content promoted violent jihad and included official Daesh magazines and propaganda," CTPNE Ch Supt James Dunkerley described Ahmed as having a "deep-seated extremist mindset" who posted content which often included graphic content and glorified acts of terrorism."Ahmed was persistent and determined in his efforts to reach as many people as possible with his posts."He said the extremist used five different accounts over a five-month period before his arrest in April 2024. He gathered more than 1,300 followers and received in excess of 14,000 likes in response to his content, the detective said."By sharing Daesh propaganda, he has promoted their cause and intentionally extended the reach and influence of their ideology," he said. Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Brit's ISIS TikTok post sparked 'ring of steel' around Champions League football stadiums
A man from Cleethorpes caused an international security alert as he posted about 'easy' football stadium targets and suggesting Champions League games would get 'huge rewards' A man from Cleethorpes has been given a 15 year extended sentence after his TikTok posts sparked fears ISIS had been planning attacks on football stadiums. Mohammed Mahfuz Ahmed prompted a massive international security alert after he suggested stadiums hosting Champions League games were an 'easy target' and the results would be 'huge''. The 26-year-old's threats prompted an 'extraordinary' security response from the Spanish interior ministry for the match in April between Real Madrid and Manchester City. They drafted in more than 3,500 police officers, with four separate rings of security, and snipers posted on the roofs of buildings overlooking the stadium. Ahmed, 26, from North Lincolnshire, was running multiple TikTok accounts, including one in the name Knight_of_Martyrdom urging people to hit the 'easy' targets. He was sharing pro-ISIS propaganda making calls to behead and shoot dead disbelievers. On April 4th last year he posted an image of fans at a football ground with targets on their heads which read: "To the stadiums, launch o muwahhid (faithful) to your new target." It added: "The bleachers (open air stands) and games in stadiums are filled with large numbers of crusaders. The targets are easy to reach, the results are huge, Allah willing and the reward is many times over. This will kill them, bloody their days, ruin their lives and make grief their punishment. The Prophet said 'a kaffir (non-believer) and his killer will never be brought together in hell.'" Ahmed posted a comment with the image which read: "Answer the call" . The image was posted days after an attack at a concert at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow by four men claiming allegiance to Islamic State, who opened fire killing at least 145 people including six children. Another image was posted four days later, on April 8th, by a media channel linked to ISIS in the same black and red colours, featuring a gunman in a balaclava with the message: 'Kill them all." It pictured the Emirates Stadium in London, Parc de Prince in Paris, and Santiago Bernabéu and Metropolitano Arena stadiums in Madrid which were due to host UEFA Champions League football matches the next day. Ahmed was arrested on April 18th at his home address and police seized an iPhone, a Samsung laptop and two USB memory sticks. On his phone was an image of the Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid with a red target circle at the entrance to the stadium where people are entering. The threats made headline news across the world and Katherine Robinson, prosecuting, told Sheffield crown court: "We say that this is a statement of direct encouragement to commit acts of terrorism. "The defendant had an extensive following on TikTok. He also used hashtags which accompany each of his posts. This enables the user to significantly widen the reach of their posts." Ahmed was using the TOR browser to access the dark web which disguised the source of the terrorist material he distributed, the prosecutor said. Ahmed was found guilty of three counts of disseminating terrorist material and one count of encouraging terrorism. The judge, Jeremy Richardson KC, said Ahmed had "utterly revolting scenes of cruelty and savagery relating to a variety of terrorist outrages" on his computer. "By far the most serious of the charges relates to the UEFA football tournament, when you were directly encouraging individuals to indulge in terrorist activity, relating to that major public international event," he added. "You were seeking to recruit others with equally perverted views as yourself to indulge in acts of terrorism as individuals have done in the past elsewhere in the world." Sentencing him to 10 years in jail with five years on extended licence, the judge added: "I have a duty to protect the public. I sincerely hope that this sentence serves as a deterrent to others." The police said a raid on his home revealed a 'deep-seated extremist mindset' and an 'avid determination to share terrorist material online.' Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley the head of Counter-Terrorism Policing North East said: 'Ahmed was persistent and determined in his efforts to reach as many people as possible with his posts, which often included graphic content and glorified acts of terrorism. 'He went to considerable lengths to seek out and share material that could not easily be found on mainstream online platforms, using hashtags to appeal to a wider audience and encourage more followers. "The potential impact of his actions should not be underestimated…Sharing extremist material online is not a victimless crime and may inspire others to act.." Over a five-month period Ahmed gathered more than 1,300 followers and received in excess of 14,000 likes in response to his content. Each time TikTok closed his accounts, Ahmed set up a new one with a slightly varied username, re-posting the same pro-ISIS content and adding new posts. In messages dating back to October 2023, Ahmed shared graphic violent pro-ISIS videos with his wife. In one exchange he told her: "A martyr can take 70 people to heaven with him. The blood of a martyr is more pure than water or anything." Then he added: "Babe, I'm surprised how MI5 haven't come to my house yet. I've heard people getting raided and going to prison for spreading so called Islamic propaganda. I mean it's happened to loads of people. "They take away your passport and everything sometimes, depending on what it is. The only thing that would get me into trouble is with the police for dissemination of so-called terrorist publications." Omran Belhadi, defending, said Ahmed came from a very small Bangladeshi community in Cleethorpes where his opportunity to mix with other Muslims was limited. His middle brother suffered from non-verbal autism and his mother had had a stroke which left her unable to feed and clothe herself, putting "pressure points" on the family, he added.
BBC News
27-02-2025
- BBC News
Cleethorpes: Mohammed Mahfuz Ahmed guilty of terror offences
A 25-year-old man from Cleethorpes has been convicted of terrorism offences following a two-week trial. Mohammed Mahfuz Ahmed, of Crowhill Avenue, was found guilty of disseminating terrorist publications and encouraging terrorism at Sheffield Crown Court was arrested in April 2024 as part of an intelligence-led operation by Counter Terrorism Policing, with the support of Humberside Police. Ahmed was remanded into custody and will be sentenced on 17 April. The court heard the evidence gathered by officers from Ahmed's home address revealed a "deep-seated extremist mindset" and included magazines and propaganda which promoted had taken deliberate steps to circumvent the rules of social media platforms and had used five different accounts over a five-month period, officers social media posts, which attracted more than 14,000 responses, encouraged murder and acts as violence as well as identifying Ch Supt James Dunkerley, the head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said Ahmed "often included graphic content and glorified acts of terrorism" in his said: "He went to considerable lengths to seek out and share material that could not easily be found on mainstream online platforms. The potential impact of his actions should not be underestimated."By sharing Daesh propaganda, he has promoted their cause and intentionally extended the reach and influence of their ideology."We are working tirelessly alongside our partners to remove this content and identify those who seek to legitimise terrorism in this way." Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
