A Romford man has been jailed after glorifying terrorism on social media.

Hamza Alam, 22, from Romford was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on July 15 to five years imprisonment – with four years to be served in custody and one year on licence.

Alam was arrested in June 2022 following an investigation by the Met Police’s Counter Terrorism Command into an online messaging channel.

His devices showed he was an administrator on a Telegram channel - going by the acronym H - where he shared terrorist publications that encouraged Jihad.

The 22-year-old called himself an online librarian during his police interview.

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Officers also identified posts on Alam’s social media channels that glorified Daesh fighters and promoted extreme violence.

Some also encouraged the commission and preparation of terrorist acts.

Det Ch Supt Gareth Rees, head of operations for the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: "Alam insisted that he was simply an online librarian, providing a service to the public by sharing this material.

"That was not the case - by sharing violent and extreme terrorist publications, he is now a terrorist offender and has been sentenced accordingly.

"He was found to have shared content deliberately and recklessly, with the aim of encouraging others to carry out violent acts of terror.

He added: "We know that the type of content Alam was sharing can have a tangible and dangerous impact, particularly when it comes to the radicalisation of young people in our communities."

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In April, a jury found Alam guilty of three counts of disseminating terrorist publications and one count of encouraging terrorism, relating to statements made on social media.

These included posts that openly celebrated the 9/11 bombers and advocated extreme violence, police said.

Alam was first arrested in June 2022 and later charged with three counts of dissemination of a terrorist publication in March 2023.

While on bail, he was further arrested in September 2023 and charged for one count of encouragement of terrorism.

Police advised anyone who sees or hears something unusual or suspicious and thinks someone may be engaging in terrorist activity to report it in confidence at www.gov.uk/act. People can also call the anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321 but should dial 999 in an emergency.