Man admits attempting to join ISIS after watching YouTube, TikTok videos

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A 22-year-old man accused of preparing acts of terrorism has told a UK court that he attempted to join ISIS after becoming influenced by “extreme” videos on YouTube and TikTok.

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Mohamed Mohamoud, who was born in Somalia and moved to Bristol in 2020, is standing trial at Winchester Crown Court over allegations that he prepared acts of terrorism between October 1, 2024, and March 5, 2025.

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According to BBC, giving evidence on Tuesday, Mohamoud admitted that he attempted to travel to Somalia in 2025 to join ISIS but denied intending to commit an act of terrorism or assist anyone else in doing so.

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When asked by his barrister, Dominic Thomas, whether he accepted that he had attempted to join ISIS, Mohamoud replied, “Yes I do.”

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Thomas then asked him what he would do if he were charged with that offence.

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“Plead guilty,” he replied.

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The court previously heard from prosecutor Naomi Parsons that Mohamoud travelled to Somalia in January 2025 in an attempt to become a “martyr” for ISIS.

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According to the prosecution, he was unable to reach the group because of ongoing counter-terrorism operations in the country and returned to the UK in early March.

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Parsons also told the jury that Mohamoud had used an AI chatbot to help him make contact with ISIS members in Somalia.

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After returning to the UK, he allegedly remained in contact with ISIS recruiters, telling them, “Any time, you say the word, I will return.”

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‘I was watching extreme videos’

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Mohamoud told the court that he was not religious before he began watching videos about religion on YouTube.

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He said he later came across videos on TikTok that promoted ISIS.

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“It was extreme videos, not violence, just people sitting there talking,” he told the jury.

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He said the videos discussed issues surrounding democracy, socialism and people considered to be “disbelievers”.

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Mohamoud added that he was watching videos criticising democracy and other political systems on TikTok when he came across a video promoting ISIS.

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“What happened was I was watching these videos, these people who do not belong to any group, so I was like ‘yes, these groups who were fighting democracy or whatnot, they are doing something right’,” he said.

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He told the court that he subsequently commented on the video expressing his desire to “emigrate” and join ISIS.

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Mohamoud moved to Bristol as a teenager to live with his mother and attended college, where he studied English, mathematics and cooking.

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He had previously lived in the United Arab Emirates with his stepmother and told the court that he had a difficult relationship with his mother, whom he had only seen once since his parents separated when he was three.

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The trial continues.

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