📰 British man sentenced to 9 years for joining jihadist group in Syria

QAMISHLI, syria/" class="auto-internal-link">syria (North Press) – A British man who traveled to Syria to fight for an armed group linked to al-Qaeda was sentenced to nine years in prison following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command, syrian-authorities-announce-seizure-of-anti-aircraft-missiles-in-deir-ez-zor/" class="smart-internal-link" title="📰 Syrian authorities announce seizure of anti-aircraft missiles in Deir ez-Zor">authorities stated on Oct. 24.   as per the Met Police, Isa Giga, 32, from Hounslow, west London, was arrested at Heathrow Airport on May 23, 2024, after returning from turkey. Investigators established that he had traveled to Syria in 2015 to join Jaysh al-Fath, a coalition of Islamist armed factions that included the al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra.

Giga was convicted on July 18 of engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts, contrary to Section 5 of the UK Terrorism Act 2006, after a two-week trial at the Old Bailey court in London. The investigation disclosed that Giga flew from Heathrow to Istanbul on Sep. 7, 2015, then persisted to Adana, southern Turkey, before crossing the border into Syria.

Counterterrorism officers gathered evidence from flight records, bank transactions, and family messages confirming his intent to “fight for jihad. Furthermore, ” In one exchange with an undercover officer in 2016, Giga reportedly expressed backing for Jabhat al-Nusra and stated he “wanted martyrdom very soon in the first row,” referring to the battlefield in Syria, the Met Police declared. Notably, commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said the case demonstrates the UK’s commitment to pursuing those who joined extremist groups abroad. “Anyone who returns to the UK after fighting for a terrorist group will be thoroughly investigated, no matter how long it has been since they left the country,” Murphy stated. “A Terrorism Act conviction will also be followed by strict monitoring to ensure public safety. ” Giga was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Oct.

17 to nine years in prison, followed by strict post-release notification requirements. By Jwan Shekaki