Newcastle man jailed for life for preparing others to commit terrorism
A man from Newcastle has been sentenced to life in prison for preparing others to commit acts of terrorism and inciting terrorism overseas.
Fatah Mohammed Abdullah, 35 from the Arthur’s Hill area of the city pleaded guilty to engaging in conduct in preparation for giving effect to an intention to assist others to commit terrorist acts.
He pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court in March 2020 to assisting others in Germany to commit acts of terrorism in their own country.
Ahmed Hussein (also known as Shahin Fatah) and Omar Babek (also known as Hersh Fatah) were arrested and prosecuted by the German authorities in 2019. They were both sentenced to 4 years and 8 months for the preparation of a serious act of violent subversion involving unlawful handling of explosive substances.
Abdullah was arrested on 11 December 2018 from his home address in Newcastle as part of an intelligence led investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing North East, supported by Northumbria Police.
From his address in Newcastle, officers recovered vast quantities of the materials used to make explosives, in addition to fuses, a bushcraft knife and balaclava. Further packages were delivered to Abdullah’s address whilst specialist police teams searched the property following his arrest.
He was found to have purchased thousands of matches, pre-cursor chemicals, fireworks, fuses and other components used in the production of improvised devices and recorded himself detailing how to test a remote control detonator. He shared this video with Hussein and Babek in Germany and through specialist forensic techniques, the investigation team were able to positively attribute the creation of the content to Abdullah.
Officers also uncovered a significant amount of material on Abdullah’s digital devices showing his affiliation and support for Daesh and extreme violence. Further video and audio recordings made by Abdullah detailed the steps that should be taken to prepare for and conduct the attack.
Through his extensive communications on a number of platforms, he sought to influence Hussein and Babek to cause an explosion and then drive a vehicle in to a crowd. Abdullah also encouraged the sourcing of a firearm and use of a meat cleaver, knife or sword in order to kill as many people as possible.
Head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East Detective Chief Superintendent, Martin Snowden said: