Islamist who was allowed to stay in Britain after entering illegally as a teenager faces prison after joining ISIS and being found with 'suicide bomb manual'

An ISIS terrorist who had been granted indefinite leave to remain in Britain as a teenager after arriving illegally now faces prison, after being found with a 'suicide bomb manual' on 'homemade explosive belts'. Abdullah Yousef, 24, created a Telegram group where he published terrorist material, including instructions on how to make suicide vests and sharing videos glorifying the 9/11 attacks on America which killed nearly 3,000 people. Yousef arrived in the UK aged 15 claiming to be from Syria, although prosecutors suspect he is from Egypt. Alongside a number of messages Yousef had sent on Telegram which professed his support for, and membership of Daesh, a proscribed terrorist organisation, he also sent a message saying: 'By the way, I am a terrorist.' Yousef, of Milton Keynes, was found guilty of membership of a proscribed organisation following a two-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court. He will be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court at a later date. The court heard Yousef had an interest in extreme Islamist material, particularly relating to Daesh, a proscribed terrorist organisation. He was convicted of terror offences including membership of the Islamic State and the possession of information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, in the form of a document titled 'homemade explosive belts'. Abdullah Yousef, of Milton Keynes, was found guilty by unanimous jury of a number of offences following a two-week trial at Birmingham Crown CourtYousef was also convicted of six charges of dissemination of a terrorist publication. One of the charges related to a video depicting the twin towers attack on September 11, 2025 – the 24th anniversary of the terror attack on New York City that killed almost 3,000 people. Anti-terror police also discovered that Yousef had established a Telegram channel where he made vast amounts of terrorist material available to others. Frederick Hookway, prosecuting, told an earlier hearing: 'The defendant was arrested on December 16, 2025 at his home address. 'After being arrested, the property was searched, and the digital device was seized, a mobile phone. 'The evidence really comes from that mobile phone and what was found within.' Mr Hookway continued: 'Going back to May 4, 2024, the defendant was engaged in a conversation on Telegram with another user. 'He was sent a link on archive that was then used to make a pledge of allegiance to IS. 'What follows from this is a lot of material that would suggest sympathy, if not support for, IS, that includes disseminations of publications that support IS. 'Added to that, there was a specific document recovered from that telephone which appeared to have been saved, a guide to making suicide vests. 'Although it did not contain all the instructions needed, it would have been capable of being useful to someone with that intention. 'Within other messages, the defendant openly referred to seeking out that knowledge. 'In terms of what else is known of the defendant, he entered the UK illegally when he was approximately 15 years old. 'He claims to have come from Syria, but bearing in mind the dialect on his phone, he appears to have come from Egypt. 'He has indefinite leave to remain in the UK.' Detective Chief Superintendent Oliver Wright, Head of Counter Terrorism Policing South East said: 'Yousef professed being a member of Daesh (aka Islamic State), a proscribed terrorist group in the UK, that promotes violence in furtherance of its cause. 'He also made vast quantities of terrorist material available to others, including details of how to make improvised explosive devices and a video glorifying the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers. 'Sharing this content can have the very harmful result of encouraging those vulnerable to radicalisation to adopt a similar extremist mindset and be motivated to engage in terrorist activity.' Detective Chief Superintendent Wright said the public can report anyone expressing extreme views or hatred, via www.gov.uk/act or call the Anti-Terrorism Hotline on 0800 789 321.