Man tried to join Isis after 'watching YouTube'

A would-be Isis member has described in court how he was inspired to join the group after watching "extreme" videos on YouTube and TikTok.

Mohamed Mohamoud, 22, is on trial at Winchester Crown Court accused of preparing acts of terrorism between 1 October 2024 and 5 March 2025.

On Tuesday Mohamoud, who was born in Somalia but moved to Bristol in 2020, admitted to the jury he attempted to join Isis in Somalia when he travelled to the country in 2025, but denied he intended to commit an act of terrorism or assist anyone else in doing so.

Mohamoud told the court he was not religious until he started watching "extreme" videos on YouTube, before later seeing a TikTok video which promoted Isis.

Giving evidence, the defendant was asked by his barrister Dominic Thomas: "Do you accept that you attempted to join Isis?"

Mohamoud replied: "Yes I do."

Thomas then asked: "If you were charged with that offence what would you do?"

"Plead guilty," he replied.

Naomi Parsons, prosecuting, previously told the court Mohamoud travelled to Somalia in January 2025 in a bid to be a "martyr" for Isis but returned to the UK in early March after failing to reach the group because of ongoing counter-terrorism in the country.

Parsons also previously told the jury Mohamoud used an AI chatbot to help him make contact with the group in Somalia, and after his return had kept in touch with recruiters who he told: "Any time, you say the word, I will return."

Mohamoud told the court he moved to Bristol as a teenager to live with his mother and went to college where he studied English, maths and cooking.

He had previously lived in the United Arab Emirates with his stepmother and told the court he did not get on with his mother who he had only seen once since his parents had split when he was three years old.

He told the jury he discovered a YouTube channel and "watched a lot" of videos related to religion.

"It was extreme videos, not violence, just people sitting there talking," he told the court.

"They were discussing some law about infidel people who follow democracy, socialism, that are saying these things are disbeliever [sic], they are saying the leaders and their soldiers and whole institutions are disbelief [sic]."

Mohamoud added: "I was watching these videos against democracy and whatnot on TikTok and there was a video promoting IS [Islamic State].

"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 that he made a comment on the video that he wanted to emigrate and join "in this process".

The trial continues.

Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.