Man jailed after spreading terrorist documents around Coventry

A man who left terrorist publications on memory sticks in worshippers shoes has been jailed.

Omar Ashfaq, 24, pleaded guilty to 11 terrorism offence on the first day of his trial at Birmingham Crown Court.

He spread documents in mosques in Coventry, Derby, Loughborough, Birmingham and Luton between May 31 and June 8 last year reports the BBC.

Ashfaq, of St Thomas Road, Derby, admitted being in possession of three Rumiyah magazines, which are written by the Islamic State group propaganda wing and disseminated online to try to attract new recruits.

He was handed a custodial sentence of four years and six months at Birmingham Crown Court as well as a further one year on licence.

DI Donna Sisson, head of Derbyshire Special Branch, said "The USB sticks he managed to deposit contained footage of unspeakable brutality and promoted an extreme ideology."

Deb Walsh, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Omar Ashfaq found a novel way to spread violent propaganda in the hope of encouraging British Muslims to commit terrorist acts.

"Instead the mosques he targeted found him on their CCTV recordings and handed in the footage and the memory sticks to the police.

"I want to thank them for acting quickly so the CPS had the crucial evidence we needed to encourage him to plead guilty."

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