Two men from Birmingham have been convicted of terrorism offences after being found guilty of sharing material on a popular messaging service. Kyle Marcano and Muhammed Maroof were part of the same WhatsApp group and were found to be sharing extremist material including videos and images with ‘very disturbing and dangerous content’.

Marcano, 28, was arrested in March last year for an unrelated offence where officers seized his phone. It was examined and revealed his inclusion in a chat group which shared terrorism material. He was then arrested for terrorism offences.

He admitted four offences last November, including sending terrorist publications. Today, Friday, April 26, he was found guilty of four counts of dissemination of terrorist publications and one count of membership of a proscribed organisation, at Birmingham Crown Court. Marcano is set to be sentenced at a later date.

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Maroof, 19, was found to be part of the same chat on WhatsApp. He admitted four offences of distributing terrorist material in January this year. He was jailed for four years and ten months earlier this year.

Det Chief Supt Alison Hurst, who leads counter-terrorism policing at West Midlands Police's Counter-Terrorism Unit, said: “These two knowingly shared videos and images containing very disturbing and dangerous content.

“We will continue to protect communities by working with partners and the CPS to pursue and prosecute all those who show support for terrorism. We work tirelessly to counter terrorism. Our absolute priority is to ensure the safety and security of the people who live, work and visit the West Midlands area."

The force said: “Every year thousands of reports from the public help police tackle the terrorist threat. If you see or hear something that doesn’t seem right, trust your instincts and ACT by reporting to police in confidence at: gov.uk/ACT.

“Reporting won’t ruin lives, but it could save them. Action Counters Terrorism. Remember, in an emergency, always dial 999.”