Ilford teenager stopped at Heathrow at 16 jailed for terrorism offences
Yusuf Shah, now 18, was stopped under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act at Heathrow in January 2024. He has been jailed for four years and two months after a trial at Kingston Crown Court.
A teenager from Ilford who was 16 when police stopped him at Heathrow Airport has been jailed for terrorism offences. He collected terrorist documents and gave cyber security help to terrorist groups.
Yusuf Shah, now 18, was sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on Tuesday 20 October to four years and two months in custody. He was also given a 10-year notification order. The case was investigated by Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) London.
Stopped at the airport
Police said Shah was stopped at Heathrow in January 2024 under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000. This power lets officers at ports, airports and international rail stations stop, question and examine travellers to find out whether they are, or have been, involved in terrorism. Officers do not need any suspicion to use it.
His mobile phone was seized. Police said a search of his home in April 2024 led to officers seizing a computer and USB storage devices.
CTP London said officers who downloaded the data from his phone found he had read an online magazine published by al-Qaeda. Police said it contained practical information on how to carry out different acts of terrorism.
Detectives also found that he had downloaded documents with instructions on making explosives and using different types of weapons. He had also been active on social media, where he expressed support for groups including al-Qaeda and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), both banned in the UK.
Advice on cryptocurrency and cyber security
Police said Shah took part in chat groups on the messaging app Telegram that supported terrorist organisations and had members from around the world. He presented himself as someone who shared their ideology and could offer technical computer knowledge.
According to CTP London, he advised members of one group to use a particular untraceable cryptocurrency to donate to al-Qaeda. In April 2024, a donation of $1,376.51 was sent to an al-Qaeda QR code using the security methods he had recommended, police said.
Police said that at the end of March 2024, a person on Telegram asked him to help produce a cyber security guide for TTP, saying a senior TTP official had requested it. Shah wrote a document titled "A Guide on Cybersecurity", with detailed instructions on cyber security and the use of cryptocurrency, and it was passed to the group.
Conviction and sentence
After a five-week trial at Kingston Crown Court, Shah was found guilty of five terrorism offences. They included one count of becoming concerned in an arrangement to make money or property available for the purposes of terrorism, contrary to section 17 of the Terrorism Act 2000, between 26 March and 5 April 2024. They also included three counts of collecting terrorist material, contrary to section 58 of the same Act.
He was convicted earlier in the summer and remanded in custody until sentencing.
CTP London said its investigation found Shah had been drawn into extremist and terrorist material and ideologies from the age of 13 or 14. By 16, he had begun sharing his knowledge with terrorist groups online.
The case reflects growing concern among counter-terrorism officers about young people being radicalised online. Home Office figures show 46 people aged under 18 were arrested for terrorism-related offences in the year to June 2026. That is the second-highest number on record.
Counter Terrorism Policing asks anyone worried that a friend or relative is being drawn into extremism to get advice through its ACT Early service at actearly.uk. Suspicious activity can be reported in confidence at gov.uk/ACT or by calling the anti-terrorism hotline on 0800 789 321. In an emergency, always call 999.