Law student convicted over terror videos

A law student who posted Islamic terrorist propaganda on the internet was facing jail today.

Mohammed Gul was "pouring petrol on the fire" and his actions could have spurred others to commit acts of terror, said Sean Larkin, QC, prosecuting.

Gul, 23, of Hornchurch, Essex, was found guilty at the Old Bailey of five counts of disseminating terrorist publications.

He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced tomorrow.

One charge related to an internet forum and four charges to 29 videos posted on YouTube in 2008.

Mr Larkin said: "These were glorifying terrorism."

Gul was studying law at Queen Mary University, east London, in February 2009, when police raided his home. He has since graduated.

He had allegedly used clips from al-Qa'ida, the Taliban and Iraqi media sites and added jihadi songs.

One showed an image of Osama bin Laden along with words of a poem which praised him.

Other sections showed the bodies of children and images of conflict including a coalition jeep being blown up, the court heard.

Mr Larkin said: "We suggest Mr Gul became more and more involved in extreme views.

"He spent more and more time in internet forums and chatrooms with people who expressed extreme views.

"He asked for footage showing sniper attacks, vehicle explosions and other terrorist attacks in places of conflict.

"He became more and more radicalised. He decided to make these videos and upload them.

"For people interested in this sort of thing, people with a grievance against coalition forces, he was pouring petrol on the fire."

Mr Larkin suggested Gul started to show an interest in Bin Laden in 2007, and the offences followed the December 2008 attack on Gaza by Israeli forces which resulted in 140 deaths.

Gul told the jury he did not support terrorism but acted through curiosity and his political beliefs.