West Sussex man jailed over beheading and terror magazines

Zakaria Yanaouri pleaded guilty to possessing documents of information useful to terrorism

A man who downloaded instructions on how to carry out terror attacks, and images of beheadings, has been jailed for 32 months.

Zakaria Yanaouri, 21, of Congreve Road, Worthing, was arrested in a raid on his home 24 February.

He pleaded guilty to five counts of possessing documents containing information useful to terrorism.

Judge Philip Katz QC described Yanaouri as an extremist who opted to listen to "notorious terrorist loudmouths".

Sentencing Yanaouri, the judge rejected his claim that he only watched the materials "out of curiosity".

He said Yanaouri, who was of previous good character, had been brainwashed by the propaganda.

The raid on his family home took place after he and his family had been stopped on their way back from Saudi Arabia.

Issues of a digital Islamic State group propaganda magazine were found on a computer and each had a section labelled "Just Terror Tactics", the Old Bailey heard.

Execution of captives

Prosecutor Robin Sellers said the seized material helped to show Yanaouri had "a mindset that is sympathetic to and supportive of the teachings and propaganda of Isis".

He told the court: "The material included moving images of beheadings and scenes of execution of Isis captives commonly encountered by the viewers."

Yanaouri admitted downloading lectures from sites that promoted the Islamic State group and included speeches by Anjem Choudary and Abu Izzadeen.

He told police that he downloaded footage of beheadings and other atrocities to watch them out of "curiosity", the court heard.

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