Coventry man among three found guilty of terror offences

Three men, including one from Coventry, have been found guilty of terrorism offences, with two of them planning to travel to Iraq to engage in terrorism.

One of them was arrested by counter terrorism officers hiding in the back of a lorry in Dover, as he attempted to leave the country undetected.

Aras Mohammed Hamid, seen on the left, was found guilty of two counts of preparing for acts of terrorism. The court heard he had been pivotal in planning for himself and another defendant to travel to the conflict zone and engage in acts of terrorism.

Shivan Hayder Azeez Zangana (known as Aziz, seen in the middle), aged 21, was convicted of one offence of preparing for acts of terrorism. He had been in contact with Hamid about going to Iraq, before travelling from Sheffield to Birmingham, where he was arrested by officers from the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit (WMCTU).

Aziz had claimed that he wanted to go home to Iraq but evidence proved that he had in fact been radicalised by Hamid and his purpose for wanting to travel was to join Daesh.

A third man, Ahmad Ismail (on the right right), aged 19, from Portwrinkle Avenue, Coventry, was found guilty of failing to disclose information about the planned travel to the conflict zone.

The court heard that Ismail’s brother, Mohammed Ismail, travelled to Syria to fight with the Daesh in 2014. Ahmad Ismail is believed to have originally intended to travel with Hamid and Aziz, but changed his mind after concerns over his brother’s status. The three men were arrested in May by officers from WMCTU.

All three will be sentenced in January.

• Anyone concerned about someone travelling to, or returning from, Syria or another conflict zone or is worried about someone showing signs of being radicalised should contact their local police on 101 or visit www.preventtragedies.co.uk to access relevant support and advice.