05/09/23
Preston man who had potential bomb-making material jailed
An 18-year-old man who admitted possessing potential bomb-making instructions has been jailed.
Mohammed Afzal, from Preston, Lancashire, pleaded guilty to collecting and disseminating terrorist material at Liverpool Crown Court.
He was arrested after posting extremist material on social media but initially refused to provide passcodes for his devices to officers, police said.
Afzal was jailed for three years and nine months.
He was first detained in June 2022 for encouraging terrorism and the dissemination of terrorist publications.
Electronic devices were seized from his home but he refused to provide the passcodes, Counter Terrorism of Policing North West said.
He was then released under investigation before police found digital material and terrorist-related documents on his phone.
They also linked various social media accounts with "a large amount of extremist material deemed to encourage terrorism" to him.
Afzal was then arrested again in October on suspicion of collecting and disseminating terrorist material and refused to answer questions.
He eventually pleaded guilty to four offences concerning the dissemination of terrorist publications and four offences regarding the collection of terrorist information.
Det Supt Andy Meeks said: "We will not accept any action that attempts to divide our communities and will hold to account anyone who seeks to incite hatred.
"The public are key to helping us achieve this and I would encourage anyone who is aware of extremist material online - whether that be posts, websites, or any activity of concern - to report it."
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