East London man who shared terrorist content is jailed

Ismail Kissa, from Leyton, was stopped at Stansted Airport on March 29 last year and his phones were seized. 

Officers found concerning files and videos on his phones so he was subsequently arrested and taken for questioning. 

A further analysis of his phones revealed he was a member of extremist group chats on Telegram. 

Officers found evidence that he had shared terror content with other on these groups. 

He had also spoken to other members of the group about selecting a target for a terrorist attack, specifically referencing police stations. 

On his phone Kissa also had an instructional video about how to make a molotov cocktail. Police concluded that if the instructions were followed it would have been a viable weapon. 

On Tuesday (June 20) Kissa appeared at the Old Bailey where a judge sentenced him to six years in prison. 

He had previously pleaded guilty to one charge of possessing a document useful to a terrorist, relating to the molotov cocktail video, and 13 charges of disseminating terrorist publications. 

The Old Bailey had previously heard that Kissa was said to be on the autistic spectrum. 

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “This conviction has come about as a result of a Schedule 7 stop at the airport, which led to officers identifying extremist material on his phones and then launching an investigation. 

“This case demonstrates how valuable it is that SO15 is part of a national Counter Terrorism network that works closely with colleagues around the country to keep the public safe, and deal with people that support extreme ideologies and we suspect of terrorism offences. 

“We know that the sharing of this type of material online can lead to people becoming radicalised – particularly some young people who may be more vulnerable to malign influences.

“If you see this kind of material online, or are aware of anyone sharing it, I would urge you to report it to us so we can take appropriate action.”