Other families will be too scared to co-operate, claims terrorist’s father
The father of a Birmingham Jihadi jailed for nearly 13 years for terrorist activities in Syria has condemned the length of his sentence, claiming it will discourage other families from co-operating with police.
Birmingham City University student Yusuf Sarwar and unemployed Mohammed Ahmed, both 22, spent eight months fighting in Syria alongside rebels, having travelled to the country via Turkey in May 2013.
The former Handsworth school were sentence to 12 years and eight months jail time in Woolwich Crown Court last week after admitting to engaging in the preparation of terrorist acts in July.
Ahmed’s father has claimed that, despite co-operating officers in their investigation and helping to persuade the pair to come back to Britain, they received no help from the police.
He said: “We told the police, we went to them for help but we didn’t get any.
“We surrendered them for justice but the police didn’t help at all.
“If anyone’s children go to Syria now, no-one will tell the police because they will be too scared to tell them this.
“My son lives in jail so what did I gain from going to the police?
“People go to the police for justice and help. No, I wouldn’t go again.”
Sarwar’s mother Majida echoed similar sentiments, claiming after the pair was sentenced that she felt “betrayed” by both the courts and the police.
After realising her son had travelled to Syria in May of last year, Sarwar’s mother went to the police and was told they would aid her in bringing her son home.
Ahmed’s father blamed the influence of the internet on the change in his son, who he said had lived a normal life in the UK before travelling abroad.
“I think maybe it was the internet that brought those kinds of thoughts to him, the internet brainwashes people these days.
“But going to war without telling us was wrong. Going to war is wrong.
“I have spoken to him over the phone. He is feeling very bad.
“If he had known he wouldn’t have come back from Syria.”
