British Isis member who used Bitcoin to free jihadis from Syrian prisons jailed for 12 years

‘We’ve been doing this for years but no one has been caught by the virtue of Allah,’ Hisham Chaudhary wrote before arrest

Hisham Chaudhary was convicted of Isis membership and other terrorism offences (Counter Terrorism Policing North East)

A man who used Bitcoin to free Isis militants from detention in Syria has been jailed for 12 years.

Hisham Chaudhary is believed to be the third person convicted of being a member of Isis in the UK.

Chaudhary, from Oadby in Leicestershire, was also found guilty of two counts of entering terrorist fundraising arrangements aiming to free jihadis captured in Syria.

The court heard that the number of people he was involved in freeing is not known, but in an October 2019 he wrote: “We’ve been doing this for years but no one has been caught by the virtue of Allah.”

Following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court, he was also convicted of four counts of disseminating terrorist material for organising the publication of Isis propaganda.

Judge Paul Farrer QC said Chaudhary had been a member of Isis since at least 2016, and was “trusted and respected” by fellow jihadis.

“You were involved in organising funding for the extraction of Isis supporters from detention camps in Syria and their subsequent smuggling back to Isis-controlled areas,” he told the defendant while sentencing him on Friday.

“You were not simply an individual who raised money, you had an organising role including contact with individuals negotiating with smugglers on price and routes.”

Judge Farrer said the two incidents prosecuted, involving American and Dutch Isis members in 2019, were just “examples” of long-running behaviour.

One of the people he was working to free was a woman in the al-Hol camp, where Shamima Begum was formerly held, who wanted to be smuggled out before she could be repatriated to the Netherlands with her children.

When asked about the case Chaudhary asked his contact to specify “which sister” he meant because he was working on freeing several.

Kurdish authorities have repeatedly warned that they cannot secure prisons and camps indefinitely, and urged countries including the UK to repatriate captured Isis members.

The court heard that Chaudhary processed more than £50,000 of Bitcoin in 2018 and 2019, receiving money from Isis supporters and using those funds to “extract Isis personnel”.

In 2016, he had attempted to travel to Syria and offer assistance to the terrorist group.

Chaudhary claimed his actions were motivated by humanitarian concerns but Judge Farrer rejected his assertions and said his defence “lacked logical coherence”.

He said Chaudhary’s commitment to Isis was demonstrated by his involvement in the spread of official propaganda that encouraged terror attacks, and that he was “well-connected” within the group.

Judge Farrer sentenced Chaudhary to 12 years’ imprisonment in total for the seven terrorism offences, and added an extended five-year licence period.

He told the extremist he would be considered for release at the two-thirds point of his sentence, but must satisfy the Parole Board that he no longer presents a risk to the public.

He will then be subject to licence conditions and requirements under a 30-year terrorist notification order.

Chaudhary, who was arrested in November 2019, had denied all offences and tried to present himself as a humanitarian.

Prosecuting, Simon Davis QC told the court that Chaudhary had discussed release operations in online chats, at one point talking about “the lion being released”.

He said that shortly before his arrest, he had sought to pledge allegiance to the new leader of Isis following the killing of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

A woman carrying a toddler walks through the Kurdish-run al-Hol camp for the displaced where families of Islamic State foreign fighters are held (AFP via Getty Images)

Baghdadi had specifically called for Isis to work to free imprisoned members in a September 2019 speech, saying: “Soldiers of the caliphate, your brothers and sisters suffer in prison. Work hard to rescue them.”

Mr Davis said Chaudhary was also “closely aligned” with official Isis media outlets and was allowed to open a Twitter account on the group’s behalf.

“This was never humanitarian; this was a man entrenched in Isis ideology who was out to support a terrorist agenda,” he added.

“This was quite clearly a targeted approach to release prisoners, the inference being this was Isis-driven. There was significant fundraising from Isis supporters around the globe, which he orchestrated.”

Gul Nawaz Hussain QC, defending, said Chaudhary – who appeared in court wearing a grey suit and with a ponytail and beard – was “making progress in the right direction” while detained.

“He is someone on the road to hell with good intentions, who has clearly taking a wrong turn but is starting to come to terms with what he’s done,” he added.

Detective Chief Superintendent Martin Snowden, the head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said: “From the comfort of his home in the UK, Chaudhary took an active role in promoting, supporting and funding terrorism.

“It is evident he was a valued member of Daesh, one who had consistently demonstrated his allegiance through his actions.”