Newport man who posted pro-Isis propaganda on social media jailed for five years

A man from Newport who posted propaganda for the so-called Islamic State group on social media has been jailed for five years.

Shazad Ali, 21, from Newport, published hundreds of videos on Instagram and TikTok in a bid to promote the terrorist organisation.

Bristol Crown Court heard Ali interspersed material in support of the group with footage of Pride marches and martial arts to deceive algorithms on the social media platforms.

He created chats on Telegram which were used to discuss Isis and involved people he believed were members of the group, the court was told.

In one exchange, Ali told a 17-year-old boy that he would be “the next spokesman for Dawla in Wales” – referring to al-Dawla al-Islamiya fi al-Iraq al-Sham, meaning the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.

Ali was arrested in January last year after authorities identified pro-Isis content on his social media accounts.

He later pleaded guilty to four charges contrary to the Terrorism Act – supporting a proscribed organisation, two counts of encouraging terrorism and one of possessing a document likely to be useful to a terrorist.

The prosecution offered no evidence against Ali on charges he was a member of Isis and that he possessed a second document about explosives. Judge Parker directed not guilty verdicts in respect of those charges.

Judge Christopher Parker KC jailed Ali to five years in custody and an additional two years on licence upon his release.

He told Ali he hoped he would return to the “ordinary, happy life which your parents so long for you” after being deradicalised.

“Between July 2024 and January 2025, you became immersed in the doctrine and aims of Isis, a terrorist organisation seeking to establish a caliphate through violence of the most extreme and horrendous kind,” Judge Parker said.

“Over that period, you spent much if not all of your time in your bedroom, on your telephone, developing your interest in and promotion of Isis.

“You came into contact with a person called Abu Qatada, someone who you believed to be a member of Isis who was fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

“You were to assert your actions were undertaken under pressure from that man. The investigations of your devices reveal there was no such pressure.”

The judge said Ali acted as a “gatekeeper” to Abu Qatada and vetted those wishing to access chats in which he was a participant.

He described how Ali had exchanged 1,700 messages with a 17-year-old boy over a two-month period in attempts to recruit him to Isis from Al-Qaeda.

“In addition, through online communication you were able to recruit six men into the ranks of Isis,” the judge said.

Violent imagery

The judge said Ali had created propaganda videos by disguising “violent” imagery in support of Isis with innocent footage of mixed martial arts and Pride events.

“That exercise required you to collect, generate, edit and publish the footage,” he told Ali.

“Acting as a recruiter and propagandist was already harmful and dangerous. You then engaged in a closed Telegram chat group you had set up called Lone Wolves with 11 members.”

A document, providing instructions on how to make an explosive, was posted in that chat group and downloaded automatically onto Ali’s device.

When another participant on the group asked how to get the ingredients to make the explosive, Ali replied: “If from the UK, I have them all, I can send.”

The judge, who described the incident as an “escalation in your behaviour and involvement”, noted that none of the chemicals were discovered despite extensive searches at Ali’s family home.

Prosecuting, Christopher Amis said Ali had given interviews to police after his arrest – telling officers he had been born Muslim but did not practise his faith until 2023.

Ali told police he played online games such as Roblox and through this was introduced to Abu Qatada, who was a member of Isis living in Afghanistan.

Influencer

During one TikTok chat, Ali claimed he worked to create media for Isis which “reinforces the notion the defendant was working as an influencer and propagandist for Isis”, Mr Amis said.

Mr Amis played three videos taken from Ali’s social media to the court, one of which featured Mohammed Emwazi – aka Jihadi John – holding a scalpel and a knife while audio spoke of “slaughter”.

The barrister said it was not possible to say how many videos Ali posted online but it was “certainly in the hundreds”.

Representing Ali, Jodie-Jane Hitchcock said he had a “very modest number of followers” on his accounts and was socially isolated.

“He found himself exposed to a world online where his isolation was exploited and he found an outlet,” she said, adding that he was remorseful for his actions.

Speaking after the case, Detective Chief Inspector Leanne Williams, of Counter Terrorism Police Wales, described Ali as representing a “very clear, very dangerous threat to the public”.

“Ali visibly expressed his support for the Islamic State and it was our overriding priority to ensure the public were protected from both him and the abhorrent rhetoric he promoted,” she said.