Spotting the Signs: Identifying

Vulnerability to Radicalisation Among

Students

A Case Study-based Approach

Findings

1. No single pathway and no one

indicator of vulnerability

2. Bedroom radicalisation?

17/29 had online extremist activity—including all

4 females profiled.

However, online activity appeared to be

subsidiary to real-world relationships.

Example: ‘Jihadi Matchmaker’

Samya Dirie travelled with 15-

year-old Yusra Hussein in

September 2014.

Both girls had been in touch

with extremists online.

Yusra was thought to have

been groomed on the dating

site “Jihadi Matchmaker”

Example: Aqsa Mahmood

So-called “Bedroom Radical”

Family claimed she was groomed by Adeel Ulhaq online before she went to university.

Ulhaq was later convicted for helping another student, Aseel Muthana, travel to join his brother in Syria.

Ran away to meet Ulhaq – who she wanted to marry - and despite parental interventions, travelled to Islamic State in 2013.

3. “Socialisation into Terrorism”

18 were part of a friendship group connected to

extremism.

Example: Humza Ali

Attempted to travel January 2015

Sentenced to 9 years in February 2017

Once integrated, became involved with a

problematic friendship group.

Humza Ali’s Friends Brusthom Ziamani – ALM – jailed March 2015 for planning

to behead British soldier.

Mohammed Ali Ahmed – convicted November 2016 for providing finances to Paris-Brussels attacks.

Abdelatif Giani – travelled to Syria December 2014.

Gabriel Rasmus – jailed November 2016 for attempting to travel to Syria.

In contact with Alex Nash – jailed May 2016 for attempting to travel with his wife to Syria.

Ali’s father – convicted 2009 for supplying equipment to Taliban and AQ, member of cell of Parviz Khan, jailed 2008 for plot to behead British soldier.

3. “Socialisation into Terrorism”

11 had a family member connected to extremism

Examples:

Flamur and Fatlum Shalaku (West London)

Amer, Abdullah and Jaffar Deghayes (Brighton)

Salma, Zahra and Ahmed Halane and cousin

Abdullahi Ahmed Jama Farah (Manchester)

Abdulrahman and Khalif Shariff (Manchester)

Nasser and Aseel Muthana (Cardiff)

3. “Socialisation into Terrorism”

16/29 had contact with an extremist, cleric or fighter suggested as a source of their radicalisation.

E.g. Shalaku brothers: recruited by Alex Kotey, member of Mohammed Emwazi’s “Beatles”. Designated by the US State Department as a terrorist, responsible for recruiting several UK citizens.

Another student – Raphael Hostey – boasted of recruiting the Halane twins.

4. Geographic areas and networks

Manchester

Portsmouth

Coventry

Cardiff

Portsmouth ‘Al Britani Brigade’

Group worshipped at the

same mosque and

volunteered for the same

dawah group.

Online, the Manchester group

fell into the ‘orbit’ of

Ifthekar Jaman. He guided

the Portsmouth & Manchester

networks together at

Reyhanli, on Turkish side of

the Syrian boarder. Top left: student Muhammad Mehdi

Hassan, bottom left: Ifthekar Jaman.

Manchester Anil Khalil Raoufi & Mohammed Javeed

travelled to Syria in October 2013.

They met up with Raphael Hostey in Turkey.

Financially supported by Jamshed Javeed, who drove them to the airport.

Nur Hassan – attempted to join them in November 2013 with Jamshed. Hassan succeeded, but Javeed was jailed in March 2015.

Hassan was aided by Abdullahi Jama Farah and Mohammed Javeed.

Coventry

Ali Kalantar (married Zahra

Halane)

Rashed Amani (spectulated -

married Salma Halane)

Mohammed Hadi

Cardiff

Nasser (November 2013) and Aseel

Muthana (February 2014)

Three men – Kristen Brekke, Adeel

Ulhaq and Forhad Rahman, were

convicted of helping Aseel travel to

Syria.

Rahman and Ulhaq were part of an

online network that included two of

the Portsmouth cell.

5. Where does socialisation happen?

6/29 attended schools that were attended by

other extremists or had been accused of having a

problem with extremism.

9/29 had a connection to an imam or mosque

suggested as a source of radicalisation or had been

attended by other extremists.

5. Where does socialisation happen?

Ladbroke Grove Mosque – large number of Islamic State fighters.

Coventry Mosque – Ali Kalantar’s family believed the imam at the mosque was responsible for his radicalisation

Al Manar Mosque, Cardiff

Al Manar Mosque

Allegations of Saudi funding

History of inviting extreme speakers, including

Mohammed Al Arifi, banned from UK in 2014.

Local said that they were groomed:

“not to the stage to go, but so that they are satisfied that

what they go to do is right. It all comes down from the school

of thought. Fight shias, fight these people, fight those

people—that’s where it all started. The teaching helped the

people recruiting”.

Didsbury Mosque Anil Khalil Raoufi attended the mosque.

The mosque said that he had been radicalised online and was not well-known to them.

Following the Manchester bombing in May 2017, it became known that Salman Abedihad also attended the mosque.

Reports also that it was run by the Muslim Brotherhood & has strong links to the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) –proscribed 2005.

In August 2018 concerns were raised when imam of mosque was recorded calling for armed jihad. Should be noted that the imam denies this.

6. Behavioural Changes

10/29 showed sudden expression of extreme

political opinions.

14/29 showed behaviour commonly associated

with increasing religious observance.

Sudden expression of extreme political opinions

David Souaan – spoke of his desire to establish caliphate (in

the UK), called other students kuffar, hard-line on alcohol

and girls

Humza Ali – us versus them, sent messages to Labour

councillor telling him to stay out of a Muslim area and calling

him “dirty swine” and “shaytan”, only reacted to violence

against Muslims, described as having lack of “cognitive and

high level thinking”.

Jaffar Deghayes – found drunk in Brighton town centre saying

“Allah will seek revenge for me” & “Do what you want to me.

See what happens when the judgement day comes. You will

all go to hell” – post-trip to Libya said all Americans were

“terrorists”

Behaviour commonly associated with

increasing religious observance

Appearance of increasing religiosity does not necessarily indicate a protective factor

Aqsa Mahmood – wearing hijab, buying religious books, taking religious classes online, requesting to wear the niqab.

Jaffar Deghayes - Arabic classes and watching religious lectures online.

Conclusions

Thank you!