Bethnal Green Islamist jailed for keeping al-Qaeda terror manuals

A Muslim from Bethnal Green with links to a banned Islamist group has been jailed for over two years for keeping al-Qaeda manuals that could be used for terrorist attacks.

Afsor Ali, 27, was found guilty at the Old Bailey on Friday of three counts of possessing material likely to be used for committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

He was sentenced today to spend 31 months - just under two-and-half years - in prison.

The electronic files, stored on his computer and MP3 player, included the online al-Qaeda magazine Inspire, produced by the group’s Yemeni branch, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and the terror manual 39 Means to Serve and Participate in Jihad.

Counter-terrorism police arrested Ali in November 2012 and seized a number of media devices after a search of two homes in east London.

He was charged with possessing written material deemed to be useful to terrorists in breach of Section 58 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

Ali was apprehended in March at St Pancras Station where he was planning to board a train to Paris with someone else’s passport.

He is believed to have been a member of the banned group Muslims Against Crusades, run by hate-preacher Anjem Choudhury and proscribed by the government under various names.

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Bethnal Green Islamist found guilty of keeping terrorist manuals