Man who was stopped at Stansted Airport on his way to Turkey is convicted of sharing terrorist documents
A man has been convicted of sharing terrorist material after he was stopped while travelling through Stansted Airport.
Zaheed Hossen, 30, from north London, was found guilty on Thursday (August 8) following a trial at Kingston Crown Court lasting two weeks and four days.
The Metropolitan police’s Counter Terrorism Command began their investigation into Hossen in August 2020 after officers using powers under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 stopped, examined and spoke with him as he was travelling from Stansted to Turkey.
He was allowed to go on his way, but officers seized his phone to carry out enquiries into the material they identified.
Upon returning to the UK, Hossen was arrested for suspected possession of material that was deemed to breach terrorism legislation. When asked about the material, he denied any knowledge of it and was released on bail while detectives carried out further enquiries. These identified further offences in relation to sharing terrorist-related documents with others.
Following a referral to the Crown Prosecution Service, Hossen was charged with five counts of disseminating terrorist material and initially appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on February 3, 2023.
He pleaded not guilty and the case progressed to trial, resulting in his conviction. Sentencing will take place on October 17.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “This investigation came about after officers stopped Hossen using Schedule 7 powers as he travelled through the airport. These powers help us to identify potential terrorist activity and they ultimately help us to keep the public and UK safe.
“We’ve seen that the sharing of terrorist material can cause great harm and damage, and we would encourage anybody who spots terrorist or extremist material online to ACT (Action Counters Terrorism) and report it to us, so we can take appropriate action.”
Anyone who see terrorist or extremist content online can report it to police via www.gov.uk/ACT.
