Two Birmingham men admit terrorist offences after travelling to Syria war zone
The pair had claimed that they went to Syria for humanitarian reasons
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Two childhood friends who went to Syria to join rebel fighters have admitted terrorist offences after returning home under pressure from their families.
Mohammed Nahin Ahmed and Yusuf Zubair Sarwar, both 22, from Birmingham, spent eight months in Syria last year after contacting Islamist extremists from the UK and abroad. Sarwar’s family reported him missing to police in May last year after they found a handwritten letter in which he said he had left to join a terrorist group.
A search of their homes revealed that they had done research, bought equipment and then travelled to enter the battle zone via Turkey. They were arrested at Heathrow on their return to Britain in January.
Officers found “thousands” of images of the men with guns on a digital camera carried by the pair, which also indicated that they had been in and around Aleppo. Traces of “military-grade explosives” were also found on the men’s clothes and trainers.
The pair had claimed that they went to Syria for humanitarian reasons and Sarwar had told his family he was travelling to Turkey as part of a two-week trip organised by Birmingham City University. But at Woolwich Crown Court in London yesterday, they each admitted one count of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorism acts. They will be sentenced later this summer.