05:52PM, Tuesday 25 July 2017
A jury heard today how a Slough man accused of sharing a variety of extremist propaganda allegedly sent an audio clip of a speaker justifying the horrific 2015 Paris attack a day after it happened.
Taha Hussain, from Langtree Avenue, has been charged with nine counts of dissemination of a terrorist publication and one count of encouraging terrorism. He denies the charges.
The 21-year-old is accused of sending or uploading numerous videos, audio files and documents on Youtube, WhatsApp and Telegram Messenger between July 19, 2015 and April 13, 2016.
Topics covered in the files include the Charlie Hebdo attacks, the Paris attacks and 9/11, as well as advice for jihadis.
He is also accused of encouraging terrorism with his Twitter posts, one of which said ‘Ramadan keeps getting better’ preceded by a BBC news story about a Canadian hostage murdered by Islamists in the Philippines.
Delivering his closing remarks at the Old Bailey today (Tuesday), Mark Paltenghi, prosecuting, said Hussain had sent an audio clip titled ‘Paris Outrage’ on November 15, 2015, a day after the Paris attacks.
In it the speaker is said to justify the attacks as part of a war against non-believers, where jihadists are ‘allowed to kill their innocent men, women and children.’
The jury also heard how Hussain had a lengthy document on his phone with a variety of passages about terrorism and jihad including a sub-chapter on bomb making.
Mr Paltenghi also brought into question Hussain’s phone passcode, which was 9117, suggesting it was a combination of 9/11 and 7/7.
He told the jury: “9/11 and 7/7 were some of the most devastating, significant terrorist events of this century.
“Do we think that this defendant, realising his mindset, chose 9117 to reflect that?”
Hussain had said in the witness box the day before that his passcode was randomly selected.
Defending, Frida Hussain warned the jury against ‘pigeon-holing’ and succumbing to prejudice, claiming that the prosecution had only given ‘snippets’ of the man’s life using the media files.
Part of Hussain’s defence is that he was a peaceful activist, but the prosecution says the media files he shared are evidence of him becoming radicalised.
The jury is expected to retire for deliberation tomorrow.
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