Chadwell Heath man 'encouraged terrorism on TikTok'

Hamza Alam, 23, is also accused of disseminating terrorist publications on TikTok and a Telegram chat. 

Opening the trial at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday (April 8), prosecutor Paul Casey told the jury that Alam was first arrested at his home in Conway Crescent in June 2022 after police linked him to a Telegram chat which had 60 members. 

Mr Casey alleged that Alam was lead administrator of the chat and had sent documents glorifying the commission of terrorist acts. 

"His purpose within the group was to discuss, share and disseminate extreme Islamic content,” Mr Casey said. 

The jury was shown “Islamic State propaganda videos” which had been shared by Alam, including clips of prisoners being executed. 

Mr Casey said Alam had also created a folder on the site archive.org, including Islamic State propaganda videos which celebrated 9/11 as “the first blow in their satanic capitalistic system”. 

Alam was released under investigation but was arrested again in September 2023 after police linked him to two TikTok accounts, the court heard.

Jurors were told one of the accounts had more than 1,000 followers, 13,000 likes and had uploaded 126 videos. 

Some of the videos were perfectly innocent, but others encouraged jihad and celebrated figures such as the 9/11 bombers, Mr Casey said. 

When police searched Alam’s computer they found photographs of his own face superimposed on those of Islamic State fighters, the court heard. 

Alam denies three charges of disseminating terrorist publications and one charge of encouraging terrorism. 

When he was interviewed he told police he had been acting as a “librarian”. 

“He told police he had assessed the material and that in his mind there was no risk that posting it would encourage terrorism,” Mr Casey said. 

The prosecutor told the jury that they must decide whether his actions were “reckless” as to whether they might encourage others to commit terrorist acts. 

The trial continues.