JAILED: Nearly 13 years for West Midlands pair who travelled to Syria to 'commit acts of terrorism'
Two West Midlands men who travelled to Syria to join an al Qaida-linked terrorist group have been jailed for nearly 13 years.
Childhood friends Mohammed Ahmed and Yusuf Sarwar, from Birmingham, fled to the war-torn country in May last year after contacting Islamic extremists.
The men, both 22, were arrested on their return to the UK in January and pleaded guilty to one count of engaging in conduct in preparation of terrorism acts contrary to Section 5 of the Terrorism Act.
They were sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court in London today to 12 years and eight months in prison with an extended licence period of five years.
Judge Michael Topolski QC said: "They willingly, enthusiastically and with a great deal of purpose, persistence and determination embarked on a course intended to commit acts of terrorism."
He described the pair as 'fundamentalists who became interested in and deeply committed to violent extremism'.
Today's sentences comes after the two pleaded guilty in July to travelling to Syria and signing up with an al Qaeda associated fighting group.
Both men had told their families they were going on a holiday to Turkey in April 2013, but Sarwar's mother became suspicious and reported her son missing to police.
Eight months later, in January of this year, the two returned to the UK. Officers from the West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit were waiting at Heathrow to arrest them.
Detective Chief Superintendent Sue Southern, head of West Midlands Counter Terrorism Unit, said: "This case typifies the challenges both police and families are facing when it comes to young people being influenced to join the conflict in Syria or Iraq.
"These two men had no previous connections to extremist organisations and no police record. They were not known to us.
"However, one of them was clearly being influenced by extremists he was talking to online, and he in turn was radicalising his friend.
"They both deceived their families and by the time we were contacted serious offences had already been committed. We had no choice but to arrest and charge the pair on their return."
