IS supporter jailed for Instagram terrorism posts

Abdullah Bellil was jailed at Kingston Upon Thames Crown Court

A man has been jailed for posting a string of Instagram videos that endorsed or depicted terrorist killings.

Abdullah Bellil, from Southampton, previously pleaded guilty at Kingston Upon Thames Crown Court to expressing support for the Islamic State group.

The 29-year-old, who holds dual British and Algerian nationality, also admitted four charges of distributing terrorist publications between July 2023 and October 2024.

Judge Sarah Plaschkes KC imposed a six-year sentence with an extended licence period of one year.

Bellil's Instagram account, Deafening Silence, had 1,453 followers and had hundreds of videos, the judge said.

She said the most serious of these was a "call to arms" posted in April 2024, calling for "horrific" revenge killings at a detention camp.

Other videos contained images of mutilated bodies and contained the instruction "Join IS or die", the judge added.

Bellil made an approving comment on one of the videos, endorsing the Islamic State group, she said.

The defendant rented a flat in East Street, Southampton, on 12 December 2024 and was arrested there six days later, the court heard.

Police found videos on his phone and evidence that he was planning to travel abroad for violent jihadi acts.

At the time of many of the offences, Bellil was on bail on suspicion of assaulting police officers, criminal damage and possessing Class B drugs, the judge said.

He will spend two-thirds of the sentence in custody before being considered for parole.