A man who glorified extreme Islamist terrorism by sharing graphic videos online has been sentenced today (20/9) to three years and nine months’ imprisonment.
Faseh Sajid, of Green Croft, Speedwell, Bristol, was found guilty of five counts of dissemination of a terrorist publication contrary to Section 2 of the Terrorism Act 2006, following a trial at the Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey) which concluded on 15 August. The 21-year-old was found not guilty of another count of the same offence.
The conviction follows an investigation by officers from Counter Terrorism Policing South East (CTPSE).
Faseh Sajid glorified extreme Islamist terrorism
In November 2022, a search warrant was executed by police at Sajid’s home. Officers seized a number of electronic devices which were found to contain evidence of his extreme Islamist ideology. As a result, Sajid was arrested by officers from CTPSE, assisted by officers from Counter Terrorism Policing South West (CTPSW) in January 2023.
A vast amount of material on the social media messaging app Telegram was found on Sajid’s mobile phone. He used the name ‘John Ross’ in his Telegram chats, stating in one of the chats that it was to avoid him getting arrested.
Further investigation revealed that Sajid regularly shared material with other users on the chats and downloaded, edited, and created his own videos based on Daesh footage which he further shared. The videos he created contained footage of soldiers fighting, mass executions, beheadings, flag waving and celebrations carried out to the sound of hip-hop or techno music. On the chats, he often requested specific videos and nasheeds (songs) related to Daesh, which he used to create his own videos.
The court also heard details of how Sajid had sent a video published by the Al Qaeda media wing which encouraged terrorism against the West. It featured footage of the Lee Rigby killers, ALM members, imagery of 9/11 and jihadi fighters training, the 7/7 bombings and a video of Osama Bin Laden.
Evidence showed that he was also part of group chats with other members in which they shared graphic and extremist content with each other. Sajid posted videos on the chat which it appeared he had edited including montages of improvised explosive devices, executions by gunshot, beheadings and flag waving for Daesh, overlaid with drill music.
Detective Chief Superintendent Olly Wright, Head of CTPSE, said: “Sajid shared extremely graphic propaganda videos showing battle scenes in Iraq and Syria, deceased fighters and a live execution. By doing so, he was making attempts to radicalise people who viewed this hate-filled content.
“While Sajid tried to cover his tracks, such as by attempting to anglicize his name online, our officers carried out extensive work examining his electronic devices and uncovering his extreme Islamist ideology.
“Sajid was just 18 years old when he began spreading this extremely harmful rhetoric. I therefore stress how important it is that, if you are concerned about a young person, or indeed anyone who is sharing or viewing extreme material, please do report this to keep everyone safe.”
If you have any concerns about someone you know expressing extreme views or hatred, you can report them to your local force by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency or you can visit the ACT early website. Action counters terrorism. Reporting can save lives.