Four members of a WhatsApp group – including one from Birmingham and another from West Bromwich – who shared Islamic State propaganda and looked to raise funds for the banned group have been jailed after one was caught with a baby milk tin full of cash at Stansted Airport
Roshman Azad Wali Saeed, aged 30 from Birmingham (left) and Tshko Ahmad Mohamad, aged 33 from West Bromwich (right)
Members of a WhatsApp terror group who shared propaganda and were looking to arrange funding for Islamic State have been jailed for almost 30 years.
Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands CTU identified three of the men involved in terrorism-related activities between 2022 and 2023.
These included Roshman Azad Wali Saeed, aged 30 from Birmingham and Tshko Ahmad Mohamad, aged 33 from West Bromwich.
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Saeed was convicted of six counts of dissemination of terrorism publications and entering terrorism funding activities following a trial.
He was jailed for 12 years at Birmingham Crown Court in April last year.
While Mohamad was convicted of fundraising for terrorism during the same trial and sentenced to seven years.
Omar Hussain Ahmadi from Sheffield (left) and Mohammed Hamad, from Liverpool (right)
The two can now be named after another from their group, Mohammed Hamad, from Liverpool admitted two offences connected to the dissemination of terrorism propaganda at Liverpool Crown Court this week.
He had been arrested from an address in the Wavertree area of the city in March last year and was jailed for four years on Friday (May 23).
The conclusion of the case led to the lifting of reporting restrictions, meaning West Midlands Police could now reveal that three other men were previously convicted of being involved in connected offences.
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In addition to the two Midlands men, they were also linked with Omar Hussain Ahmadi, 24 from Sheffield.
Ahmadi was arrested at Stansted Airport by colleagues from Counter Terrorism Policing South East in April 2023.
He was found with £7,000 hidden in baby milk powder tins and his mobile phone was seized. Then the WhatsApp group was uncovered.
Ahmadi was jailed for five years and seven months after pleading guilty to being involved in a terrorism funding arrangement at Birmingham Crown Court last December.
The WhatsApp terror group was discovered after Omar Hussain Ahmadi was arrested at Stansted Airport and found with £7,000 hidden in baby milk powder tins leading to his mobile phone being seized
Across the whole investigation, searches from Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands led to more than £4,000 in cash, over 30 SIM cards and well over a dozen mobile phones being seized.
Messages were translated and numerous were found to clear express support for the banned Islamic State organisation, along with graphic images and videos.
Detective Superintendent Annie Miller, from Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands, said: “It’s clear all these men were involved in supporting Islamic State.
“The group chat was used to promote propaganda and arrange to raise money in the UK to then send to IS to support their activities.
“It is entirely unacceptable to promote terrorism and we will not hesitate to investigate online behaviour or content which breaches terrorism or other criminal legislation.”
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A West Midlands Police spokesperson said: “Every year thousands of reports from the public help police tackle the terrorist threat.
“If you see or hear something that doesn’t seem right, trust your instincts and ACT by reporting to police in confidence at gov.uk/ACT.
“Reporting won’t ruin lives, but it could save them. Action Counters Terrorism. Remember, in an emergency, always dial 999.”