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Court confession of Batley man on terror charges
I PLANNED TO FIGHT FOR ISLAMIC STATE By Staff Reporters A BATLEY man has admitted buying airline tickets to Syria so he could fight for the so-called Islamic State terrorist group. Thirty-year-old Ghulam Hussain had made arrangements to travel to Syria, purchasing tickets with credit cards he had obtained fraudulently. Hussain, of Track Road, Batley, revealed his plan to fight in the Middle East to an undercover officer and was arrested
on November 6 last year. He is said to have admitted to the officer that his intention was to join Islamic State (ISIS) to fight in Syria and the money from the credit cards would fund this activity. He pleaded guilty at Leeds Crown Court on Monday to engaging in a conduct in preparation for committing an act of terrorism, and engaging in conduct with the intention of assisting another person to commit an act of terrorism. He will be sentenced on May 12. Detective Chief Superintendent
Clive Wain, head of North East Counter Terrorism Unit (NECTU), said: “This has been a detailed and thorough investigation which has led to the defendant pleading guilty in light of the weight of evidence against him. “This case highlights the way extremists reach out to each other and over a relatively short period of time can encourage others to commit offences; on this occasion to encourage a British citizen to travel to Syria to fight, train and live. “We work hard to stop people becoming radicalised online
and we rely on the public for information. We urge anyone who has concerns that a loved one may be being radicalised or wanting to travel to a conflict zone to contact us on 101.” This case is the latest example of people from North Kirklees attempting to join the Islamic State group. Dewsbury teenager Talha Asmal was believed to be Britain’s youngest-ever suicide bomber in 2015 after blowing himself up in Iraq. Asmal, who went by the name of Abu Yusuf al-Britani, was one of four suicide bombers
who attacked forces near an oil refinery south of Baiji. He had travelled to Syria with fellow Dewsbury teenager Hassan Munshi. Detective Superintendent Nik Adams, regional co-ordinator for Prevent in the North East region, said Syria travel cases included those “who have become radicalised into joining IS to fight on the front line, who will go on to commit heinous attacks.” He added that those who go out to the war-torn Middle Eastern state often find it difficult to return.