Life sentence for British citizen who went to Syria because he wanted to become a sniper for IS

SCREENSHOT THE INDEPENDENT

AFP news agency reported on May 27 that a British court has sentenced a citizen to life in prison for traveling to Syria to join the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) nearly 10 years ago.

Judge Mark Lucraft sentenced Shabazz Suleman, from the north-west English town of High Wycombe, for joining a terrorist organisation.

"You went to Syria to join IS. You understood that IS was an organisation banned under British law. Your ambition was to become a sniper," the judge said when sentencing at the Old Bailey criminal court in London.

Last month, the 27-year-old pleaded guilty to preparing an act of terrorism after travelling from Britain to Türkiye in August 2014 at the age of 18 to join IS in Syria.

Suleman disappeared while traveling with his family in Türkiye, a country that borders Syria and is a popular route for Western extremists to travel to Syria.

The defendant was arrested at Heathrow Airport in the UK in September 2021 and charged with multiple terrorism-related offences. According to the court, Suleman must serve at least 9 years and 6 months of a life sentence.

Prosecutor Duncan Atkinson said Suleman was captured by Turkish forces en route to Syria before choosing to be part of a prisoner swap with IS.

Upon arriving in Syria, Suleman posted on social media about his experiences with IS. He later became “disillusioned” with jihadism and attempted to defect from the terrorist group, the court heard.

After the fall of IS, Suleman was captured by the FSA in Syria before being taken to Türkiye and Pakistan.

Defence lawyer Abdul Iqbal said Suleman was a "young and idealistic" young man who wanted to help people "in distress" and take part in "non-combat missions" with IS.

Mr Iqbal added that his client had made a "firm" decision about wanting to flee after five months of joining IS.