TikTok terrorist jailed for encouraging violence and sharing IS propaganda

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A terrorist who used social media platforms such as TikTok to encourage terrorism has been jailed for four years, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.

Hamza Alam, 22, from Chadwell Heath in Romford, Essex, disguised himself before posting videos on TikTok and described himself as “merely an online librarian” in an effort to evade detection, according to the CPS.

His videos included hostile references to Jewish people alongside a post that encouraged viewers to attack and kill Jews following the Gaza and Israel conflict.

Another post celebrated the 9/11 attacks.

One of his TikTok accounts, which was public, had 126 videos that had amassed 31,000 likes.

Alam also created a shareable folder that included Islamic State propaganda and videos containing images of public floggings.

He was previously found guilty of three counts of disseminating a terrorist publication and one count of encouraging terrorism and sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday.

He was arrested in June 2022 by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command who had been looking into a Telegram discussion group, which counted Alam as one of its main contributors.

The CPS said his phones were seized and investigators uncovered photographs in which his face had been superimposed onto Islamic State fighters.

Warnings were issued from TikTok moderators saying there had been multiple breaches of community guidelines and that further breaches could result in account penalties.

Bethan David, head of the Crown Prosecution Service’s counter terrorism division, said: “Hamza Alam used social media platforms including TikTok to discuss, share and spread his vile extremist views.

“He also recklessly shared material that glorified the commission, preparation and acts of terrorism.

“Alam thought that by disguising his appearance and claiming he was merely an online librarian he would not be caught out – but he was wrong.”

She added: “Posting such extreme and illegal material online poses a high risk of serious harm to the public through encouraging and inciting others into extremist activity, and it is only right that Alam has been brought to justice today.”