Barber jailed for funding terrorism in Syria with Covid loans

A barber has been jailed for sending thousands of pounds to a terrorist organisation in Syria.

Tarek Namouz, 43, of west London, was in contact with a Daesh supporter in Syria who talked about purchasing weapons and explosives to use against the Syrian government forces.

He has been jailed for 12 years, for 10 terrorism offences, after he was convicted last month at Kingston Crown Court.

Namouz sent £11,280 to his contact in Syria over a number of months, some of which had come from Covid business loans during the pandemic.

In passing sentence, HHJ Lodder KC said: “In 2020 and 2021, you ran a barbers shop in Hammersmith. You were entitled to Covid bounce-back loans which were paid to you by the local council.

“You sent that money, and other money, through a west London transfer and currency exchange, to terrorists in Syria.”

Namouz sent the money via a money transfer bureau in west London. Detectives found records of transactions totalling £11,280.

But he was recorded telling a visitor who had come to see him in prison while on remand that he had sent more than double that amount – around £25,000.

When officers visited Namouz’s flat to arrest him on May 25, 2021, he told officers he didn’t have a phone. But during the search, detectives found one hidden in a recess under a drawer.

It was on this phone that officers found Daesh propaganda material consisting of thousands of messages, and documents which he had downloaded from the Telegram app.

This also included two videos – one which gave instructions on how to create an improvised explosive device, and another detailing how to carry out knife attacks.

Namouz was found guilty of eight counts of funding terrorism, and two counts of possessing information likely to be useful for terrorism.

Commander Richard Smith, who leads the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “Terrorist groups rely on funding to carry out their activities and to continue to operate.

“People like Namouz, who provide money to terrorist groups – both in the UK and overseas – are enabling others to go and commit serious and deadly attacks, and we will always pursue and investigate those people and seek to bring them to justice.”

Pictured top: Tarek Namouz (Picture: The Met)