Leeds man who admitted posting 'extremist' pro Hamas material online spared jail over terror offence

Ozain Yousef, 23, from Leeds, was arrested on November 24 last year as part of an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing North East on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation.

The arrest was made after police received a report that Yousef’s social media account on X, formerly known as Twitter, had posted extremist material supportive of Hamas following its attack on Israel on October 7.

Yousef was sentenced to 16 weeks’ imprisonment suspended for two years at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday afternoon after pleading guilty to the offence last month.

His lawyer said he had been “caught up in the toxic environment of social media” and was “very ashamed of where that led him”.

Judge Daniel Sternberg ordered Yousef to provide the username and password of his social media accounts at the request of his supervising officer and to not delete the call or internet history from any of his devices.

Yousef was also ordered to pay £85 in costs and a victim surcharge of £154, as well as to complete 100 hours of unpaid work.

Judge Sternberg said the sentencing was “not in any sense a commentary” on events in Israel and Gaza, adding: “What is beyond any dispute is that Hamas is a proscribed organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000.”

He said Yousef had “plainly engaged in persistent conduct” intended to show support for Hamas, adding that the prosecution had submitted this was done in a “deliberate, provocative and malicious” way.

Judge Sternberg said it was important that Yousef had expressed regret for his actions to the Probation Service.

Addressing Yousef in his sentencing remarks, the judge said: “This is an opportunity for you to show that what happened was out of character and there will be no repetition of this behaviour.”

He added: “You expressed embarrassment for bringing shame to your family through this incident.

“You admitted what you posted on social media was extreme but you didn’t consider the wider impact.”

Defence lawyer Kara Frith told the court Yousef was “adamant” he did not believe everything he posted and was “truly remorseful”.

Ms Frith added: “He cannot take back what he did, but he can and does apologise for any offence caused.

“He was caught up in the toxic environment of social media and is very ashamed of where that led him.”

Following his arrest last year, Yousef’s phone was seized by police and his X account was found to contain a large number of pro-Hamas images and videos, and one pro-Hezbollah video.

Between July 9 and September 26 2023, Yousef’s posts made no reference to Palestine or the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

However, from October 9, 2023 virtually all his posts related to the Gaza conflict, and subsequently transitioned into support for Hamas.

In one of those posts, Yousef, of Mexborough Place, Leeds, directly acknowledged Hamas and aligned himself as a “brother” of the proscribed organisation.

In another, he re-posted an image of a sniper from the Qassam Brigade, the military wing associated with Hamas.

Since last October, the national counter terrorism internet referral unit has received more than 3,000 public referrals relating to the Israel-Gaza conflict.

The majority of these referrals relate to pro-Hamas content, Counter Terrorism Policing North East said.

The unit’s head, Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, said the referrals reflected “real willingness from the public to tell us about concerning content”.

In a statement released after Yousef’s sentencing, he added: “As the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues, UK policing is working closely with affected communities to offer support and reassurance at a time of heightened emotion, anxiety and fear.

Sign up for our free newsletters now

“Supporting or glorifying acts of terrorism, and the groups engaged in them, helps to further terrorist objectives by extending their reach and influence.

“Anyone demonstrating support for proscribed organisations like Hamas can expect to be prosecuted.

“We will deny them any opportunity to increase their profile or promote their violent agenda.”