Man convicted of terrorism offences after stop and search at Heathrow Airport

A man has been convicted of disseminating terrorist material after his mobile phone was seized during a schedule 7 stop at Heathrow Airport.

Ali Yumakci 21 (26.09.03) of Northumberland Park, N17, was arrested as part of an investigation by the Met's Counter Terrorism Command into online Islamist terrorist material.

He was stopped at Heathrow Airport on 23 June 2023 and analysis of his phone revealed he had sent a number of pro-Daesh videos and material to a WhatApp Group were assessed as a breach of section 2 of the Terrorism Act 2006.

He was subsequently charged with three counts of this offence.

Commander Dominic Murphy, who leads the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said: “Schedule 7 stops, which allow police to question, search and detain people at ports, can be vital in securing evidence against those involved in terrorism offences.

“Analysis of the mobile phone seized from Ali Yumakci at Heathrow revealed he had been disseminating terrorist material.

“There is no place for hateful, terrorist ideology to be spread online and where we identify people who we believe to be committing offences, we will investigate and take action.”

Yumakci was convicted of two counts of disseminating terrorist material after a one-week trial at the Old Bailey.

He will be sentenced at the same court on 28 November.

If you have seen material online which you are concerned could be terrorist or extremist, please report it at: www.gov.uk/report-terrorism

Communities defeat terrorism, and information from the public is vital to our counter terrorism investigations. If you see or hear something unusual or suspicious and think someone may be engaging in terrorist activity, trust your instincts and ACT by reporting it in confidence at www.gov.uk/ACT or call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.