A 23-year-old man from Birmingham has been sentenced to six years in prison for supporting the Islamic State (ISIS) and publishing terrorist material online. Musa Abdrabba, of Newport Road, Balsall Heath, pleaded guilty in September to two charges of belonging to a proscribed organisation, namely ISIS.
Officers from Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands arrested Abdrabba in Percy Road, Sparkhill, in October 2023. During the arrest, detectives seized three mobile phones belonging to him, which contained terrorism material including extremely violent videos and bomb-making instructions.
Between January and October 2023, Abdrabba used an alias to operate a media service that published ISIS content. Police stated that he translated social media posts, created content, and engaged with audiences to promote the group’s propaganda. He also offered advice on how to evade detection from authorities online.
“After Abdrabba pledged his allegiance to ISIS in August 2023, he was fully committed to the role of media facilitator to ensure their propaganda was widely shared and updated,” said Detective Chief Superintendent Alison Hurst, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing West Midlands. “He took it upon himself to provide a service to a proscribed organisation and posted extremist material glorifying ISIS, with no regard for the corrosive impact or the radicalising effect that the material could have on others in our communities.”
