Birmingham man guilty of preparing to travel to Syria to commit terrorist acts

Safwaan Mansur, 22, along with Leicester-man Hanzalah Patel, also 22, was convicted by a jury after just 40 minutes deliberation at Birmingham Crown Court for being concerned in the commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism between May 31, 2017 and June 24, 2017.

Patel’s father contacted the local police force in June 2017 after becoming concerned about his son’s whereabouts.

Patel had told his family that he was due to be leading prayers at a mosque in Germany but when the family contacted the mosque they were told that no-one from the UK had led prayers that month.

They had bought camping equipment, outdoor survival equipment, clothing and airline tickets before travelling initially to Germany and then onto Istanbul before contacting others to arrange a crossing into Syria.

The pair were detained by Turkish authorities and returned to the UK. They were arrested on July 1, 2017 by West Midlands Counter Terrorism officers when they arrived at Heathrow.

Mansur, of Hampton Road, Aston, claimed the pair had planned to go to Turkey for a holiday and were due to stop in Germany on the way or way back to give out gifts - he told police that the people at the mosque like outdoor pursuits such as camping, while Patel, of Frederick Road, Leicester, maintained a "no comment" stance.

Mansur and Patel - who had known each other since being at school together in Leicester - embarked on a similar trip in 2016 but having got to Hatay on the Syrian border, they returned to the UK.

Temporary head of WMCTU Chief Superintendent Shaun Edwards, said: "Mansur and Patel had deceived their parents with the ruse that they were going to read prayers at a mosque in Germany.

“Their families had no idea they were trying to travel to join Daesh, Patel had on his media devices links to an online guide on how to join the terrorist group and he made several successful credit card applications before using the funds to buy the outdoor equipment.

“On 15 June 2017, despite the pair supposedly heading for Germany, they bought two visas for their onward journey to Turkey and booked a hotel in Istanbul for a number of days.

“Electronic devices seized from Patel on his arrest in the UK contained graphic images, videos and text glorifying Daesh. The content gives an insight into their mind-set and showed they were developing an active interest in Daesh and Jihadi ideology."

Chief Supt Edwards continued: “If anyone is concerned that a friend or family member is thinking of travelling to Syria it is very important that they tell us as soon as possible. Police and other agencies can offer support to help safeguard those who are vulnerable to radicalisers.

"The sooner we can intervene, the better chance we have of preventing people from becoming embroiled in the conflict and facing potential prosecution."

Mansur and Patel are due to be sentenced on April 25.