UK Isis recruits: 'Immature' Cardiff teen Syed Choudhury jailed for plotting terrorism

A "dangerous" but "immature" 19-year-old has been jailed after admitting plans to travel to Syria to join up with the Islamic State (Isis).

Syed Choudhury pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey in June to preparing acts of terrorism following his arrest in December 2014.

The court heard how the only reason he did not travel to the war-torn country to join up with the terrorist group was because he could not find anyone to go with him.

Choudhury said he was radicalised by people he considered to be his elders after leaving home in Bradford to study in Cardiff.

His extreme views first surfaced in 2012 while studying business administration, IT, key skills and car mechanics at Cardiff and Vale College.

During a project, he made a poster reading "Islam Will Dominate The World Freedom Can Go To Hell" and was heard saying gay people should be killed and will go to hell.

In 2014, Choudhury attended a demonstration against the conflict in Gaza holding a banner which read "Islamic State will bring peace to Middle East". It was this action which brought him to the attention of anti-terrorism officers and anti-radicalisation groups.

The court also heard how Choudhury used the internet to search '10 reasons to join Isis', 'Turkey Travel', 'Jihadist Highway' and 'How To Travel To Syria These Days'. He also asked for advice on how to join IS on Twitter.

Following his arrest, Choudhury told officers how he wanted to implement Sharia law in the UK.

"The bluntness of what you said on that occasion is chilling," Judge Peter Rook told Choudhury.

"It reveals your dangerousness. However I do accept you are immature. You are impressionable to indoctrination. You now say 'I'm lucky I came to prison, I'm lucky I got stopped'. You have shown some awareness of how misguided your earlier extremist position was."

Choudhury has now been sentenced to jail for three years and four months.

In mitigation, his lawyer Abdul Iqbal QC said the Choudhury case showed a "lack of sophistication, some naivety and level of immaturity".

"He was openly using Facebook and Twitter accounts that could link to him to posted material that was highly incriminating. There appears to be no attempt at all to disguise his involvement or insulate himself from detection," said Iqbal.

Assistant Chief Constable Nikki Holland, of South Wales police, said: "We welcome today's sentence, which sends a clear message that those who show support for a terrorist organisation, and plan to further this through becoming involved in terrorist acts, will be brought to justice.

"Choudhury throughout interviews openly expressed his support for the Islamic State and even went as far to say that he would travel to Syria to fight for the cause and agreed with martyrdom."