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Abdullah Yousef, 24, convicted of ISIS membership and terror offences, awaits sentence

A jury at Birmingham Crown Court unanimously convicted Abdullah Yousef, 24, of Milton Keynes, of belonging to Islamic State and of terrorism offences linked to a Telegram group and an explosive-vest guide. He will be sentenced at a later date.

2 outlets · 0L · 0C · 2R First reported Account updated
Image: Daily Mail
Image: GB News

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The story, neutrally told

Right · 2Abdullah Yousef, 24, of Milton Keynes, was found guilty by a unanimous jury at Birmingham Crown Court of membership of a proscribed organisation, Islamic State (Daesh). Right · 2He was also convicted of possessing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism, a document titled 'homemade explosive belts', and of six counts of disseminating terrorist publications. Right · 1GB News reported that he had denied the charges. It said the case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report and that no sentencing date has been fixed.

Right · 1Prosecutor Frederick Hookway said Yousef was arrested at home on 16 December 2025 and that the evidence came mainly from his mobile phone. He said a Telegram conversation on 4 May 2024 led to a pledge of allegiance to IS. Right · 1The court heard Yousef created a Telegram group in May 2024 in which he was listed as owner. According to GB News, it shared more than 7,000 photographs, 21,000 videos and 270 links, including a video glorifying the 9/11 attacks and an IS guide to knife and vehicle attacks. Right · 2Prosecutors said a saved guide to making suicide vests did not contain all needed instructions but could have been useful to someone with that intention. An explosives expert described a 15-page document as 'credible and potentially of use to someone preparing an improvised explosive device'.

Right · 2Messages quoted in court included 'By the way, I am a terrorist'. Asked whether he wanted to make explosives or go into battle, he replied 'Both, if I can make a good one that would work here'. Right · 1Giving evidence, Yousef said his description of himself as a terrorist was a 'joke'. He said he did not recall looking at the vest manual but admitted a 'curiosity' about the subject. Right · 2Yousef arrived in the UK illegally at about 15, claiming to be from Syria, but prosecutors suspect from his phone dialect that he is from Egypt. He holds indefinite leave to remain.

Right · 2Detective Chief Superintendent Oliver Wright, head of Counter Terrorism Policing South East, said sharing such content can encourage vulnerable people to adopt an extremist mindset and be motivated to engage in terrorism.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left0 outlets

No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Centre0 outlets

No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Right2 outlets

Framing
Both outlets lead on Yousef's immigration status, that he was allowed to stay in the UK, alongside the 'suicide bomb manual' and the conviction.
Emphasis
Indefinite leave to remain, the suspicion that he is from Egypt rather than Syria, and the bomb-making material. GB News adds more courtroom detail, including volumes of material and his evidence.
Leaves out or plays down
Neither outlet gives the immigration-status angle any official comment or context on how leave was granted. The Mail omits his defence evidence and the denial of the charges.
Charged language
“Islamist”“ISIS terrorist”“suicide bomb manual”“brazenly”
For example
“An ISIS terrorist who had been granted indefinite leave to remain in Britain as a teenager after arriving illegally now faces prison” — Daily Mail
“An Islamist who received indefinite leave to remain in the UK now faces prison after being found with a "suicide bomb manual".” — GB News