UK Kurd convicted of membership with IS, recruitment for group

A Kurd in the United Kingdom on Friday was found guilty of terrorism offenses relating to his alleged membership with the Islamic State (IS).

BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom (Kurdistan24) – A Kurd in the United Kingdom on Friday was found guilty of terrorism offenses relating to his alleged membership with the Islamic State (IS).

Awat Hamasalih, originally from the Kurdistan Region, was arrested in November last year by the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit (WMCTU).

The 35-year-old told police he was a recruiter for IS and had possessed “material relating to the group on several devices,” the Birmingham Mail reported.

Hamasalih was tried at the Central Criminal Court in London on Friday, convicted of being a member of IS and is due to be sentenced on June 30.

The court also found him guilty of “being in possession of articles connected with the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism.”

According to the Birmingham Mail, Hamasalih had been in contact with an alleged IS commander, exchanging information relating to an attack on Iraq’s Mosul.

When Hamasalih was arrested, British authorities found a spreadsheet with the personnel details of Peshmerga infantry soldiers battling IS in Iraq and Syria.

Chief Superintendent of WMCTU Matt Ward revealed the Birmingham man had also posted on several social media platforms in support of the insurgent group.

“On social media, Hamasalih claimed to be an [IS] recruiter and claimed he was able to help people with aspirations to travel to Syria,” Ward stated.

“WMCTU will continue to…pursue and prosecute all those who show support for illegal organizations such as so-called [IS] or who seek to spread hate or terror,” he concluded.