This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
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Two young Birmingham men, who went to Syria to fight alongside rebel fighters there for eight months, have been jailed on Friday for 12 years and eight months each.
Childhood friends Yusuf Zubair Sarwar and Mohammed Nahin Ahmed, both 22, from Handsworth in Birmingham, fled to the war-torn country in May 2013 after contacting Islamist extremists.
The pair was arrested at Heathrow airport on their return to the U.K. in January by officers from the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit. Both men pleaded guilty in July to one count of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorism acts contrary to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act.
During their trial at London’s Woolwich Crown Court today, they were each given an extended sentence of 17 years and eight months including a custodial term of 12 years and eight months with a five-year licence period.
While giving sentence to the duo, Judge Michael Topolski described them as fundamentalists who are committed to violent extremism. He has also told about imposing the extended term after concluding that Sarwar and Ahmed are “dangerous”.
He has said: “They willingly, enthusiastically and with a great deal of purpose, persistence and determination embarked on a course intending to commit acts of terrorism.
“The consequences for them are dramatic, the distress for the families considerable.
“It’s with no enthusiasm the court sentences young men to significant terms of imprisonment. However, the court will not shrink from its duty where, as here, a grave crime has been committed.
“The sentence in each of your cases is an extended sentence of 17 years and eight months.”
Both jihadists made false documents to convince their families they were going to Turkey as part of a trip organised by Birmingham City University. But they had arranged a one-way trip to Syria instead.
Sarwar’s family reported him missing to police after finding a handwritten letter from him to his mother detailing his intention to “do jihad against kufar”.
Police believe Ahmed and Sarwar had joined Jabhat al-Nusra – an Al Qaeda affiliate group during their stay in Syria.
The British police are currently in the process of making more arrests and initiating prosecutions regarding Syrian-related terrorist offenses amid growing concerns about the threat posed by foreign fighters returning to Europe.
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