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Migrant left Britain to join Islamic State

Story by Telegraph reporters
• 3h • 4 min read
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Mohamed Mohamoud turned down a ‘spy’ role because he wanted to fight in the ‘killing zone’, the court heard - PA/Counter Terrorism Policing South East

A migrant left Britain to join Islamic State (IS) after being recruited by AI chatbots, a court has heard.
Mohamed Mohamoud, 22, who was born in Somalia, was radicalised after viewing extreme material on social media and travelled from the UK to his home country to join the terror group last January.

The defendant, who was 20 at the time and had not had any combat training, returned to the UK in March last year after his attempt to become a martyr failed.
The court was told he had been offered a job as a “spy” but had turned it down because it was not a combat role in the “killing zone” on the front line, and he thought his family contacts in Somalia would identify him.
After a trial at Winchester Crown Court, Mohamoud, who lived in Bristol, was found guilty of preparing for acts of terrorism. At a sentencing hearing at the Old Bailey on Monday, Mr Justice Lickley jailed him for 12 years with a further four years on extended licence.
The judge told him: “You did everything you could to join IS and were prevented by factors beyond your control. I am satisfied if you had joined, you would have been used in a combat role.”



Mohamed Mohamoud used AI chatbots to contact the terror group - PA/Counter Terrorism Policing South East

Mr Justice Lickley said the defendant was not unintelligent but had been “naive”, and until he had changed his radical beliefs and support for IS, he posed a danger to the public.
The court had heard Mohamoud became interested in religion and joining IS after watching extreme videos on YouTube and TikTok. His attempts to join the terror group included interacting with an AI chatbot used by IS recruiters to filter potential new members, jurors were told.

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Despite having no intention of coming back to the UK, he booked a return flight to Somalia and flew out on Jan 30, 2025. His attempt to become a “martyr” for IS failed because of counter-terrorism operations, and he returned to the UK on March 3.
While he was in Somalia, Mohamoud was asked by a recruiter for the terror group whether he was aware of the difficulties that made accessing IS-held territory challenging.
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Mohamoud replied: “Yeah, brother. I am fully aware. I’m longing for martyrdom. Honestly, there’s no better moment than right now.” After coming back to the UK, he continued to keep in contact with IS recruiters and told them: “Any time, you say the word, I will return.”
Counter-terrorism police arrested the defendant at his home in Bristol on Jan 20. His electronic devices, containing IS propaganda, were seized and he was charged six days later.

Mohamoud had denied preparing acts of terrorism but admitted attempting to join IS in Somalia. He told the court he had been born there, but his parents separated when he was three, and he had been taken with his younger brother to live with his stepmother in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
He lived between Somalia and the UAE until he moved in 2020, at the age of 16 or 17, to live in Bristol with his mother, whom he had seen only once since his parents had split up.
The court was told the defendant had been a teenager when he arrived in the UK and had limited leave to remain until 2027.
‘He went there to fight and die’

In mitigation, Dominic Thomas said: “He went there to fight and die. He made no bones about it. He was not recruited because anyone who might be in a position to recruit him was presumably too busy fighting. The prospect of him causing harm to others was equally low.”

Mr Thomas pointed out that the defendant chose to return to the UK rather than “redouble” his efforts to join IS and had not been apprehended for months after returning to the UK.
He added that Mohamoud had made some “foolish and unpleasant” comments on his return but had been starting to see his “wrongheadedness” at a low point in his life, and there was hope for change in the future.
Frank Ferguson, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Mohamoud was determined to join Daesh [the Arabic acronym for IS] and took concrete steps to make that a reality. He even utilised an AI chatbot to contact a recruiter in his bid to join the illegal terrorist organisation.
“He actively embraced the organisation’s violent extremist ideology, sought guidance and travelled to Somalia with the intention of linking up with fighters aligned to the group.”
Det Ch Supt Oliver Wright, head of Counter Terrorism Policing South East, said: “Mohamoud embraced an Islamist extremist ideology and became radicalised through material he accessed online and via social media.

“Our investigation showed he was determined to travel overseas to join Daesh and actively sought ways to do so. His actions demonstrated both intent and persistence, including attempts to use emerging technology such as AI to support his efforts.”


Migrant left Britain to join Islamic State