Manchester student found guilty of preparing terrorist acts
A cousin of two sisters who were dubbed the teenage terror twins'' after they joined Islamic State is facing jail for helping a friend go to Syria to fight jihad.
From his mum’s home in Manchester 20 year old A-level student Abdullahi Ahmed Jama Farah, 20, created a hub of communication'' for a group of like-minded extremists.
Following a trial at the Old Bailey he was found guilty of preparing for terrorist acts by helping Nur Hassan, 19, from Manchester, achieve his aim of travelling to Syria to fight.
It can now be reported that Jama Farah is related to the so-called “terror twins” Zhara and Salma Halane, who at the age of 16 left their home in Chorlton in Manchester in June 2014 and are believed to have married IS fighters.
Prosecutor Gareth Patterson had told jurors it was clear that Jama Farah supported IS from what was found on his computers as well as messages on WhatsApp and social media.
Mr Patterson said he performed an “important role as the hub of communication” in the UK.
Jama Farah, who is Danish and of Somali origin, was in communication with four other friends abroad, two of whom are believed to have been killed and another badly injured in fighting.
His cousin Ahmed Ibrahim Halane, known as Pie, from Manchester, went to Somalia in September 2013, where he is thought to have joined the terrorist group Al-Shabaab.
Halane, brother of the “terror twins” is currently in Copenhagen, banned from returning to the UK.
Jama Farah, of South Grove, Manchester, denied wrongdoing. He was cast by his defence as an over-excited teenager sitting in his bedroom at home on his computer in contact with his friends and passing on phone numbers, concerned for their welfare.
However, the jury convicted him of facilitating Hassan's travel to Syria and for his communications with friends.
Detective chief Superintendent Tony Mole, head of the North West Counter Terrorism Unit said:
“Jama was very much a key part of the communication between this group of friends who had gone abroad with the intention of committing acts of terrorism.
“By regularly providing them with new contact details and updates on each other he supported their efforts to evade authorities and continue their extremist lifestyles.
“Although he may not have been there committing these acts himself, his actions helped facilitate what they were doing and I hope his conviction will send a message to all those who are even considering offering a helping hand to terrorists.”