Radical Muslim student jailed for three and a half years

A radical Muslim student jailed for planning to join rebel forces in Syria had told the court he posed for pictures with guns because he wanted to look "cool".

David Souaan, 20, was arrested after fellow students raised concerns about the pictures and his radical views on Islam, the Old Bailey heard.

"At the time when I was there I felt something like I wanted some trophy - the photos. As the teenagers say nowadays, it looks 'cool'. So that was the reason," he said during his trial.

A radical Muslim student who wanted the black flag of the Islamic State to fly over Downing Street has been jailed for three and a half years.

David Souaan, 20, was convicted in December of preparing for terrorist acts in Syria following a trial at the Old Bailey.

ITV London Senior Correspondent Ronke Phillips reports:

A radical Muslim student convicted of planning to join rebel forces in Syria posed for pictures with guns because he wanted to look "cool", he told a court.

Birkbeck College student David Souaan was arrested after fellow students raised concerns about the pictures and his radical views on Islam, his trial at the Old Bailey heard.

The 20-year-old, who comes from a wealthy family in Serbia, had denied the charges against him and claimed he had visited Syria to collect his grandfather's belongings.

He said he had posed for pictures with guns because he wanted to look "cool".

"At the time when I was there I felt something like I wanted some trophy - the photos. As the teenagers say nowadays, it looks 'cool'. So that was the reason," he said during his trial.

But a jury at the Old Bailey dismissed his claims, taking just nine hours to find him guilty.

Following his conviction, Judge Peter Rook told Souaan he is facing a jail term when he returns to the court in February for sentencing.

A video clip found on a phone belonging to a radical Muslim student convicted of planning to join rebel fighters in Syria was "so graphic and shocking" it could not be played in court.

During David Souann's trial, Prosecutor Sarah Whitehouse QC told the Old Bailey the clip on his phone featured a young-looking man kneeling with his head held back as another man cut his throat.

Documents were also found on the 20-year-old's laptop which revealed his "extremist sympathies" and that he had not only been fighting in Syria before but was intending to return.

Remanding Souaan in custody at the Old Bailey today until sentencing on February 3, Judge Peter Rook told him: "You have been convicted of a very serious offence indeed. You must understand that you will be receiving a custodial sentence in this case."

A radical Muslim student who aspired to fly the Islamic State over Downing Street, has been found guilty at the Old Bailey of planning to join rebel fighters in Syria.

David Souaan, 20, was accused of preparing for terrorist act in the country around the time he was stopped at Heathrow Airport in May.

The prosecution claimed he was returning to fight the jihadist cause after visiting for the same reason in December last year.

However, Souaan denied the allegations, saying his previous visit was to collect belongings of his grandfather.