British man receives life sentence for trying to join ISIS in Syria
Shabazz Suleman
Shabazz Suleman, a 27-year-old British man from High Wycombe, has been sentenced to life in prison by a UK court for travelling to Syria nearly a decade ago to join the Islamic State (ISIS) group. Judge Mark Lucraft, who presided over the case at London's Old Bailey criminal court, highlighted that Suleman knowingly joined an organisation proscribed under English law.
What did the judge say?
"You went to Syria in order to join IS. You understood IS was a proscribed organisation in English law," said Judge Mark Lucraft as he passed the sentence.
The judge also noted that Suleman's intention was to become a sniper within ISIS.
"Your ambition was to become a sniper."
Guilty plea and the sentence
Suleman, who pleaded guilty last month, admitted to preparing acts of terrorism by travelling from the UK to Turkey in August 2014 at the age of 18, with the purpose of joining ISIS in Syria.
Under the life sentence, Suleman will serve a minimum term of nine years and six months.
How did an 18-year-old join ISIS?
He disappeared during a family holiday in Turkey. This, as per the news agency AFP, Turkey, which borders Syria, is a common route for Western individuals aspiring to join jihadist groups in Syria.
During the court proceedings, prosecutor Duncan Atkinson revealed that Suleman was detained by Turkish forces while attempting to travel to Syria, but later chose to participate in a prisoner exchange with ISIS.
Once in Syria, he shared his experiences on social media and gave incriminating interviews to Sky News.
Shabazz Suleman's arrest and charges against him
In September 2021, Suleman was arrested at Heathrow Airport and charged with several terror offences, including firearms training and membership in a proscribed organisation.
However, the prosecution decided to leave the two specific charges on file as Suleman's guilty plea already addressed them. This means that although the charges were not dropped entirely, they were not pursued separately as they were already encompassed by his admission of guilt.
Escaping the ISIS
Suleman's defence lawyer, Abdul Iqbal, described him as an "immature and idealistic" young man who initially wanted to help people in distress and participated in non-combat duties within ISIS.
However, Suleman eventually became "disenchanted" with jihadism and attempted to desert the terrorist group.
Iqbal emphasized that his client "firmly" decided to leave the terrorist organisation within five months of joining.
After the collapse of ISIS, Suleman was captured by a faction of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in 2017. He was subsequently transferred to Turkey and later to Pakistan.
