Man shared IS video glorifying fighters, court told

Sabbir Miah, 29, allegedly posted the propaganda in a private group in June last year.

Metropolitan Police handout photo of 24-year-old Sabbir Miah who is facing jail for sharing Islamic State propaganda while on bail (Metropolitan Police/PA) (PA Media)

A man has gone on trial accused of sharing a video on Facebook glorifying so-called Islamic State (IS) fighters.

Sabbir Miah, 29, allegedly posted the propaganda in a private group in June last year.

Jurors at the Old Bailey were told he had five previous convictions for similar offences committed in 2016 and 2017.

Opening his trial on Tuesday, prosecutor Diana Wilson said: “The very same day Mr Miah joined the group he posted a video which could be viewed by anyone in the private group.

It clearly is an IS publication which glorifies IS fighters and is intended to do so

Prosecutor Diana Wilson

“The video includes a black flag that has been adopted by Islamic State and is produced by Al-Hayat media, who produce IS propaganda.”

“It clearly is an IS publication which glorifies IS fighters and is intended to do so.”

The English-speaking narrator made reference to a British fighter, named as Abu Abdullah al-Habashi, who died near the Syria border town of Kobani, jurors heard.

The video prompted 23 reactions on Facebook and four comments, the court heard.

In response to one comment that he could not share the video, Miah allegedly replied: “It seems like the privacy settings has changed to private bro.”

Following his arrest at a temporary address in London on November 2 last year, Miah allegedly commented: “It’s weird because I haven’t posted anything.”

Ms Wilson told how Miah had three convictions for distributing a terrorist publication relating to IS videos on an earlier Facebook account in 2016.

In early 2017, he posted further IS videos on Instagram and WhatsApp resulting in two more convictions.

The court heard he had pleaded guilty to those offences.

Miah, of Newham, east London, denies a single charge of disseminating a terrorist publication and the Old Bailey trial continues.